Blood Lines
by futureauthor13
Summary: After traveling for over a year, Mavis decides to introduce herself to Johnny's family. But how exactly will they react to a vampire girlfriend? Meanwhile, someone wants to shut down the hotel, insisting that all humans are horrible and that Dracula is a traitor. Can Dracula and the others show that the hotel's still safe and humans aren't all bad? Read to find out! Includes OCs.
1. Chapter 1

The moon was rising over the horizon. The clear blue sky had faded away, revealing a dark backdrop covered with bright stars. Underneath this perfect night stood a large, grey castle, hidden from those who didn't know the way to it.

Towards the top of the castle was a balcony, leading to a pair open glass doors. Through these doors was a large, dark room. Red drapes hung along the walls and small candles were placed around the room. In the middle of the room, sitting on a small stone platform, was a large wooden coffin. But suddenly, the door on the coffin began to open, the old wood creaking as a pale hand lifted it up.

A tall dark figure slowly rose and opened it's sharp eyes, right before letting out a yawn. "I really should think about replacing this old thing," he mumbled, rubbing his slightly sore back.

*Knock knock* "Sir, it's time to-"

"I know," the vampire replied, scowling slightly, "I'm up. Just give me ten minutes and I'll be down there."

"Yes sir, Master Dracula." He heard metal footsteps retreat from the door, and he lifted his legs out of the coffin. With a flick of his wrist, the candles were lit, filling the room with light. You could now see pictures around the room. There were a few small framed ones on the mantle of him, his daughter, and (the most recent addition to their family) Jonathan. There was also the huge picture of himself and his late wife that hung on the wall.

Walking over to the bathroom, he quickly brushed his fangs, combed his hair back, took off his black pajamas and put on his normal black suit and cape. Before leaving the room, he looked up at the large picture hanging above his bed. He smiled softly as he looked at the happy couple in the picture.

"Good evening, my love," he said to his wife. With that, Dracula quickly walked out of his room and towards the closest elevator. He heard greetings of "Good evening Dracula!" from the monsters just waking up, and "Do Not Disturb" from the shrunken heads who were hanging on the doors of monsters who weren't awake yet.

One short elevator ride later, Dracula was on the first floor, which was filled with monsters and their families. Some were heading to breakfast, others were checking out or just checking in. It seemed like ever since the Jonathan incident, the story had spread like wildfire and the hotel had been more popular than ever.

"Hello everyone," he said with a pleasant smile, "I trust you all had a good day's rest?" He was met with happy replies, and smiled even bigger. Usually, if his guests were happy, he was happy. However, that didn't last too long because at that moment, he heard the ding of an elevator door opening, followed by an army of hungry and hyper wolf pups stampeding into the lobby.

"Kids, behave yourself," Wanda said, although it most likely fell on deaf ears.

"Yeah, have a morning without causing property damage for once," Wayne added before letting out a tired yawn.

"Good evening," Dracula greeted, trying to keep his cape out of reach of a growling puppy.

"How much sleep did you manage to get last night?" they heard Griffin ask as a pair of glasses floated towards them.

"About ten minutes more than usual actually," Wayne replied, "And I'm gonna need it too."

"Ah yes, the big 2nd birthday," Dracula said. Every pup in the litter, except for the three newest additions who were a year younger than the rest, was turning two years old.

"Yep, two years down, only two more years of puppyhood to go," Wayne said. He winced. "Two more_ long_ years."

"Not counting three more years for the triplets," Griffin added. Wayne growled at him.

"It's too bad the Steins and Murray couldn't make it," Wanda said. She always enjoyed talking with Eunice even if she was a bit loud, and Murray always made the kids laugh.

"Yeah well, you know how those two love going to their 'Creations of Mad Scientists' conventions," Dracula replied. Last time the couple went there, Frank got a new foot (which made Eunice happy since their doctor had given Frank two left feet), and Eunice got the latest monster haircut. It was definitely easy to keep in style when you could just attach new hair to your head rather than just cutting it or waiting for it to grow.

"Yeah, and Murray's got that 'Cruise of the Nile' thing," Griffin added.

"Well, maybe next year," Wanda said. She turned to her husband. "Come on dear, we better get the kids to breakfast before they start eating the furniture." A footstool with several bite marks in it flew across the room.

"Too late," Griffin commented.

"HOUSE KEEPING!"

As the witches moved in to clean up the mess, the Wolves rounded up the pups, and Dracula and Griffin accompanied the family to breakfast.

"So, how's everything going, Drac?" Wayne asked.

The vampire raised an eyebrow. "Fine," he answered, "Everything's fine, why would it not be fine?"

"Well it's just that, we're having a birthday party today," Wayne said, "and I just figured you would be feeling a little down. You know, with Mavis not being here." The young vamp had been gone over a year now, not even being able to come back on her birthday thanks to plane delays. On that day, Dracula barely left his room. He kept a strong face in front of the hotel guests, but his friends knew how hard it was on him.

"Yeah, speaking of the little Love Bats, how are they doing?" Griffin asked.

Dracula gave him a small glare. "Fine. I got another letter from them about a week or so ago. They're having a great time, _which_ is why I am in such a good mood."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tan envelope. He would get one at least once a month. Each one would contain two letters, one from Mavis and one from Jonathan, and about a dozen pictures. Of course Mavis couldn't actually appear in the pictures, but there would always be a pink suitcase or a floating parasol in the picture that let Dracula know she was there. As for the letters, they were filled with stories of trying new foods and fashion, seeing amazing sights and shows, and just having a great time. To Dracula, reading about all the fun she was having and how happy she was made all the heartache from missing her worth it.

Flipping through the pictures, he stopped at the one that was taken on their first trip, which was of course Hawaii. The backdrop was a summer sunset with palm trees swaying in the background. Johnny, who was in a tee shirt and swim trunks, had his arm around an invisible Mavis who was holding her parasol over her to protect her from any remaining sun. Even though she wasn't there, Dracula could clearly see how happy his daughter was.

Smiling, he put the picture away. "I'm not worried or upset, I'm completely calm. My little girl is out there, enjoying her life and making the most of it," Dracula said, "I know she is safe, and I know she is happy. And that, is all that matters."

His three friends smiled. "How sweet," Wanda commented.

"I'm proud of ya, Drac," Wayne said.

"Same here, buddy," Griffin added.

"Thank you." He turned to the wolfman. "So I have a few activities planned for their party, and-" He stopped mid-sentence as his sharp vampire ears caught the sound of the front desk phone ringing. "Hold that thought." In a flash, he was gone.

The three remaining monsters looked at each other. "So, is that what being calm looks like?" Griffin commented.

Reaching the front desk in record time, Dracula quickly answered the phone. "Yes, hello?"

"Hello, we would just like to make a reservation?" said a deep, male voice. Dracula's smile fell.

"Oh. Yes of course." He cleared his throat and asked professionally, "Names please?"

"A Mr. Stein and a Miss Dracula." Dracula raised an eyebrow.

"Wha-?" He heard giggling in the background. "Surprise Dad!" said a new voice that Dracula recognized right away as his daughter's. "S'up Drac!" Johnny added, dropping the fake voice.

"Mavis, Jonathan?" Dracula said, his smile returning. Unfortunately, hearing the familiar names caught the other monsters' attention. Excited and curious, they swarmed the front desk, shouting out questions at Dracula and the couple on the phone.

"Mavis, how are you!" "Where are you guys!" "Are you coming back?" "Are you two still dating?"

"Everyone please quiet down!" Dracula shouted over the crowd, "I can't hear the-!" The monsters continued shouting, some even louder than before. He scowled and his eyes turned red. Finally, Dracula let out a loud roar that echoed through the whole lobby.

Now scared into silence, the monsters stared at Dracula. He gave them one final glare before smiling again, putting the phone up to his ear and asking cheerfully, "So, how's your trip? Where are you right now?"

"We're in Rome, just a few hours away from home," Mavis answered. The two were sitting in their hotel room and were getting ready to head out to get something to eat. "Speaking of home, how are things over there?"

"Oh same old, same old," Dracula replied, "Wayne and Wanda's pups are having their 2nd birthday today."

"We'll have to wish them a happy birthday tomorrow." Dracula's eyes widened.

"Wait, you really are making a reservation?" he asked.

"Yep!" Johnny answered.

"We both wanted to come visit you and everyone else," Mavis continued, "I mean, we haven't seen you guys in over a year." Of course the world was everything she thought it would be. Exciting, beautiful, fun, a huge adventure. But even adventures have small breaks in between. "Besides, I miss you."

Dracula smiled. "I miss you too, my little mouse."

"So, go ahead and reserve a room for two for the next week!" Johnny said happily.

"Absolutely," Dracula replied, "Two rooms for the next week."

"Uh, I said one room."

"I know. Okay baby, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"We'll be at the hotel around sunset. Bye dad!" "See ya Drac!" With that, the phone call ended. Feeling so happy that he could have flown three laps around the castle, Dracula turned to his guests and friends.

"They will be arriving tomorrow!" The crowd cheered, and the wolf pups howled happily, excited to see their 'cousin' again.

Moving through the crowd, Dracula found one of his knights. "Alright, I want half the knights and witches to set up the Wolves party, make sure there is plenty of food, toys, and newspapers. The rest of you, make sure this place is cleaned from top to bottom. I want everything perfect for their arrival."

"Yes sir!" The knight saluted and then ran off to find his fellow soldiers.

For the rest of the day, the vampire found himself running back and forth throughout the hotel. Part of the time he was helping host the wolves party by keeping things on schedule or even just playing fetch with the pups to give their parents a break.

Other times he was helping out at the front desk (news of Mavis and Johnny coming had spread all throughout Transylvania. Everyone wanted to come, even the Steins and Murray were cutting their plans short and stopping by), and as for the rest of his time, he was helping out the knights or the witches. He made sure there wasn't a speak of dust in sight.

By the time he was finished, the sun was already in the sky. The vampire was so tired he could barely get into his coffin. 'But, it'll all be worth it,' he thought as he closed his tired eyes.

He was going to make sure this week would be perfect.

**So, this is chapter one. My first Multi-Chapter story in months! I'm so excited! This is going to be kinda like a sequel to the movie, and it takes place after my three other oneshots. Anyway, I hope you guys like it so far! Please review, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! **


	2. Chapter 2

"Can you see the hotel from here?" Mavis asked. Johnny lifted the shade up just a little and looked outside.

"Hmm. No, it looks like we're flying above the city, not the forest," Johnny answered, "But we should be landing in about twenty minutes."

The young vamp grinned. "I think everyone's excited to see us," Mavis said, "Dad texted me that Uncle Frank, Auntie Eunice and Uncle Murray are coming to the hotel just because we are. At least, I think that's what he wrote." Even though he had mastered making calls and even taking pictures, Dracula still had trouble texting. If the message was too long, he would try to shorten words and nearly made them unrecognizable.

"I can't wait to see everyone too," Johnny agreed, thinking about all his new friends. There were so great and so much fun. Plus, knowing Murray, there would be a huge, wild 'Welcome Back' party waiting for them.

The twenty minutes passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time to get off the plane. "Okay, ready?" Johnny asked. They both grabbed his backpack. "Pull!" Even with vampire strength, the old bag (which seemed to get bigger after every trip) was hard to get out of the tiny compartment. Once it was out, Mavis got her bag, opened her parasol, and the two walked off the plane.

"So, are we allowed to take a normal taxi to the hotel?" the red head asked, adjusting the straps on his bag. He knew that most of the monsters at the hotel were okay with humans, but he also knew that wasn't an invitation to show other humans the way to the hotel.

"I'm not sure, but I think we already have a ride," Mavis pointed out. Just outside the back airport entrance was a Hearse with a tall and thin chauffeur holding open the door. She recognized the human mask he was wearing. Smiling, she led Johnny over to the car.

"Hi Ted," she said to the pumpkin headed driver. He lifted his mask and gave her a smile before pulling it back down. The two got into the car, and within minutes they were driving down the road, just barely staying under the speed limit.

()()()()()

"And you sure everything is in order?"

"Yes Sir," the knight armor replied for what felt like the hundredth time in just the last hour.

"Good job." Dracula turned back towards the front of the lobby. He managed to only sleep a few hours and woke up around three in the afternoon, which was pretty early for a vampire. Luckily he wasn't the only one awake. Frank, Eunice and Murray had arrived in the afternoon too. They, along with Wayne, Wanda (who's kids were currently snacking on leftover birthday cake, giving the wolves a minute to relax) and Griffin, as well as pretty much every other monster, were waiting on the first floor.

Even monsters who had never stayed at the hotel before (and some didn't even want to reserve a room) were there. It seemed like the entire monster community was interested in the young couple. It was really no surprise. Dracula's daughter (who already had a little interest just for that reason alone) dating a human was not something the public heard every day. The knights had to work double time just to keep the paparazzi out.

But even all of that couldn't ruin Dracula's good mood, especially once he saw the hotel Hearse pull up to the door.

"Thanks," Mavis said to the driver as she got out of the car. They each gave him a dollar, and Ted tipped his hat at them. Once they got their bags out, they walked through the familiar revolving door. Before the young vamp could even say 'Hello', they were already rushing her and Johnny with smiles, hugs and questions.

"Hey guys!" Frank said, giving the two a big hug and lifting them off the ground, "How are ya doing?"

"Great!" they answered in unison as he sat them back down.

"Oh Mavis! Sweetie, you look great!" Eunice commented. As she had written in her letters home, Mavis had fallen in love with human fashion. She still stuck to her favorite colors and barely gave a second look to anything too bright or gaudy. Today she was wearing a purple top, a black skirt and leggings, and of course the red chucks she had worn for over a hundred years. She also let her hair grow out a couple inches, so it was now a little past her shoulders. As for Jonathan, he looked pretty much the same, just with a different tee shirt and shorts.

"Thanks!" Mavis replied, "You look great too." She had switched back to her original hairstyle (Apparently the Beehive look was 'In').

"Where did you guys go?" Murray asked, interested to hear about their adventures.

"Did you get any souvenirs?" Griffin added.

"Oh! Right!" Johnny reached into one of the side pockets and pulled out a plushie version of the 2012 Olympic Mascot that he had bought in England. He placed it on the floor in front of two of the werewolf pups. "Here you go guys! Happy birthday!"

The two pups sniffed it before biting into it. They played tug-a-war for a moment and then ran off to show their siblings. It most likely wouldn't survive the night, but Wayne and Wanda still thanked them for the gift.

Looking into the crowd, Mavis saw the face she was most happy to see. "Dad!" Using her vampire speed to get through the crowd quickly, she practically tackled her dad with a big hug, and Dracula didn't hesitate to hug back.

"Awww," said the crowd. Dracula gave them a small glare, silencing them, and then smiled back his daughter.

"How are you, my little Voodoo doll?"

"I'm great dad, I have so much to tell you!"

"Hey, do I get a hug too?" Johnny asked holding out his arms. The elder vampire gave him a look. "Oh." He took a step back. "Uh, that's fine, it's cool I-" Dracula's face turned into a playful smile.

"Oh come here, guy!" Johnny smiled and the two gave each other a quick hug.

"Great to see you again, Drac!" the red head said. He was glad the two were friends. He really was a nice guy, when he wasn't stressing out about something... or threatening to suck out all his blood. But other than that, a really nice guy.

By the time they had said hi to all the monsters, answered all the questions asked, handed out a few more souvenirs, and put their bags in their rooms (fortunately Johnny's room was only a couple floors down from Mavis'), it was dinner time, and the two travelers had definitely worked up an appetite.

"I made sure there was plenty of your favorite food, Mavy Wavy," Dracula said as he accompanied the two to the dining room, "And I even got the zombies to find some human food for you, Jonathan."

"Thanks man!" Johnny said. As much as he loved everything else about the hotel from its guests to all the secret and creepy tunnels underneath it, he still didn't really want to eat their food.

"Oh, dad! When we were in Germany, I tried this food called 'Bratwurst' and it was so great! Even better than scorpions!"

"If you say so, darling," Dracula replied. To him, any food with the word 'worst' in it didn't sound so tasty.

"There was also this thing called 'Maultaschen' that was really good too," Mavis continued.

"It's kinda like ravioli," Johnny added.

"Ravi-what?"

Once they were in the dining room, Dracula left the two one their own so he could make sure everything was still running smoothly. With the dining room so full, there would be at least one zombie waiter a little confused.

"You go get what you want from the buffet," Johnny said, "And I'll go find a table."

"Okay." Johnny looked around the huge red room. "Wow, this place really is filled up" he commented as he walked around. The monsters he recognized usually gave him a smile or a wave, and he would wave back.

But, there were some he didn't recognize. They would give him strange looks and whisper to each other. Some even glared at him. But Johnny didn't really notice. Towards the end of the room, he finally spotted a table that wasn't completely empty. There was just some sort of gill-fish-woman and a grey skinned monster with three eyes.

"Hey," Johnny said, giving the two a small wave, "Uh, do you care if my girlfriend and I sit her with you?" The two monsters glared at him, almost disgusted. Without saying a word, they got up and walked away. The human blinked. "Well, gee, you didn't have to leave."

"What was that about?" Mavis asked, walking up from behind him carrying a plate of food.

"Beats me," Johnny said with a shrug of his shoulders. The two sat down, and a zombie waiter took Johnny's order for a 'human-style' salad and pasta.

"Human foods okay, but I definitely missed this," Mavis said as she took a big bite of her bagel which was , of course, covered in scream cheese.

"I know how you feel," Johnny said, "When I started traveling around Europe, I had all this amazing food around me, and yet I totally missed my mom's homemade chicken and her chocolate cake. It's like, no matter where you go, the food can't beat the food from home."

Mavis gave him a small smile. She was just reminded of what she had been thinking about for the past few days. 'Maybe now would be a good time to ask,' she thought. "Hey, Johnny?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering.." She was about to continue when her sharp hearing caught something. She turned her head to the left and listened.

"What is it?" Johnny asked, but Mavis didn't answer. She was listening, and scowling.

"I heard they were coming, but I didn't want to believe it." "I can't believe Dracula is allowing this, did he completely forget Martha?" "If he had any sense he would throw him out." "How could a nice girl like Mavis end up with, with a _human_?" "We're checking out tonight. Everyone else might not mind this but I do." "You can't trust a human."

"I can't believe it," she said. She didn't know who these monsters were, but she was ready to find out and give them a piece of her mind.

"What's wrong?"

"They're completely bad-mouthing you! Saying things like you can't be trusted and that you shouldn't be here. Who are they to talk?" Johnny saw her eyes flash red for just a moment.

"Hey, it cool," he said, "it's okay. I totally understand why they're sayin' stuff like this, and I don't mind. Really." He gave her a small smile. "Let's just enjoy our dinner and then we can go to the pool or something. I still want to try a cannonball from that huge diving board - er - tentacle."

Mavis didn't smile back. "Okay," she said. Johnny took small sips of his drink as he waited for his food, and Mavis picked at her own plate, barely touching it now. Every few seconds, she would look at a random table or scowl again. Johnny sighed silently. He knew she was bothered by this, even if she wasn't the one being badmouthed.

"Hey." The young vamp looked up. "If you don't mind taking your food to go, I've got an idea." She gave him a curious look, but decided to go along with him. And she was happy she did.

Ten minutes later, she found herself floating on top of the world. "More soda?" Johnny asked. Mavis nodded and held up her glass. Johnny filled it, and then placed the bottle back on the floating table.

They located a spare table and table cloth from a storage room, and used Mavis' phone to call for roomservice, getting a gargoyle waiter bring their food. "I will never get over how awesome this is," Johnny commented.

Mavis giggled. "Neither will I." As cool as she thought her aunts and uncles were, she would always be thankful that she was born a vampire. She couldn't imagine not being able to fly, not being able to feel the evening wind on her face and always being stuck on the ground. The cool air always relaxed her, making all thoughts from before forgotten. It was just her, Johnny, a great meal, and a beautiful night. She couldn't help but be reminded of more than a year ago when she took Johnny up to the roof, when he showed her the sunrise for the first time in her life.

Placing her glass on the table, she placed her head on Johnny's shoulder, and felt his arm lazily rest on her shoulder.

Life truly couldn't get any better.

**Chapter 2: Done! I'm really having fun writing this, and the story should really get going the next chapter, so I hope you guys like the story and keep reading!**

**Also, quick note: I mentioned monster magazines and newspapers in my oneshot 'Wolf Girls and Pigtails'. I figured they would have those just because they would need someway to get news out. As for the paparazzi, I picture Dracula and some of the other monsters as 'Monster celebrities' just because of their reputation. Even Mavis said in the movie that everyone freaks out at first when they find out she's 'Dracula's daughter'. So I just figured that something like this (A human being in a previously human-free place AND dating a celebrity's daughter) would get a lot of paparazzi. I just wanted to explain that in case it seemed weird or whatever.**

**Anyway, please review, and I'll see you in the next chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

"Dessert," a gargoyle waiter said gruffly. He held out a small chocolate cake for two on a silver plate. The two thanked him, took the cake, and dug in.

"I can't believe I've lived for a hundred and eighteen years without eating chocolate!" Mavis said before taking a big bite. Of all the human food she had tried in the past year, chocolate was her favorite.

"So, monsters don't have chocolate or candy?" Johnny asked.

"Well, we have candy, just not human candy," Mavis explained, "We have lollipops and gummy candy and stuff like that, just with, you know, monster ingredients." She didn't name examples since she didn't want to gross him out while he was eating.

"Oh. Cool!" They smiled at each other and went back to eating. As he ate, Johnny remembered something. "Hey May, what were you going to say to me before, when we were at the restaurant?"

Swallowing the last bite, Mavis set her plate on the table and looked at her boyfriend. "Well, I was going to ask if you could, tell me a little about your family."

Despite traveling together for over a year, Mavis barely knew anything about Johnny's family. If he ever told a story, it was a memory about a place he visited, or a show he saw, or a person he met. Every once in a while he would say something about his family, but most of the time he just talked about his travelling life.

The red head was a little surprised. "Oh, uh, okay," he said. He thought for a moment. "Well, uh- Oh! Wait, I have something even better." Slipping off the straps of his backpack, he carefully turned it so he could open it but made sure it wasn't too close to the edge of the table. Opening a front pocket, he fished out a small book. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

The vampire looked at the book curiously, and opened it. On the first page was a three by five picture of seven boys, all varying in height, age and even hair color, and a woman. "Is this your family?" she asked.

"Yep, that's them," Johnny said with a smile, "We took this a couple years ago, right before I left." He pointed at the boy about three from the left. Mavis knew who it was right away. "That's me."

"You don't look that different," she commented. From a glance, the picture and the way he was now was practically identical. But looking closer, she could see his hair was a bit shorter. Looking at the rest of the picture, she focused on the woman. She was tall, with long, dark, curly red hair. "Is that your mom?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied, a twinge of nostalgia in his voice. He was smiling even bigger now. "She mostly stayed at home with us, and she would always drive us to school or whatever club we had. She wasn't too strict, but if you messed up, she'd _definitely_ let you know. She was able to break up any fight just by saying our names once.

"But she was also a lot of fun. She was the only mom I knew who would play soccer and not care if she got all muddy. She was always looking out for us too. One time, there was this kid at school making fun of me because of my hair. I didn't really care and I was just planning on ignoring it, even when other kids joined in or tried to pull my hair, I just walked away. But one of my brothers told Mom, and she walked right over to the school. I don't know what she did, but the kids never messed with me again."

Mavis giggled. If she had went to school and any kids teased her, she could see her dad doing the exact same thing. "She sounds like a great mom."

"Yeah, she is." Figuring she would want to know about his brothers too, Johnny started at his oldest brother, who was at the farthest right of the picture.

"This is Matt, I think he's like twenty four now. He was a sophomore in college before I left so he should be done by now." He looked a bit more muscular than Johnny, but they shared the same hair color. "Then there's Alvin, twenty three. When I left, he said he was going to college to become an actor or something, but the dude always changed his mind about clubs and hobbies, he's probably doing something else now." This brother had blonde hair and was just an inch or two taller than Johnny. He was also flashing a peace sign in the picture.

"David's the one next to him, he's a year older than me. I think he was probably the most serious out of all of us, but he could still cut loose and have fun every once in a while." David had dark brown hair, and was wearing a pair of glasses. 'I wonder why he didn't switch to contacts like Johnny,' she thought.

"Then there's James. He's my twin." Mavis looked up in surprise.

"Twin?" She looked back at the picture. James had blue eyes, not amber, and his hair was short and a light brownish-red. "But you two look nothing alike."

"We're fraternal," Johnny explained, "So we're like normal brothers, just sharing a birthday."

"Oh." After seeing all the wolf pups, how they were born on the same day and they all looked so alike you could only tell who's who by their collars, she just figured all siblings born at the same time were like that.

"He's a pretty fun twin, but a total homebody. Awesome at video games though." Moving to the next brother, he was about a foot shorter than Johnny, and shared his mom's dark curly red hair. "Jake, he's probably fifteen now. Loved playing pranks on us, but he was still pretty cool, and a lot of fun. Me and him would always go to the skate park in the summer, me and my scooter and him on his skateboard."

Finally, he moved to the last brother, who was looking away from the camera in the picture. He was small, and looked like he didn't want to be there. He also had red hair, but it was a lot shorter than Johnny's, and unlike Jake's, it was pretty flat. "And that's Freddie. He was like six or seven when we took this pic, so hopefully he's gotten bigger, and isn't as shy. Don't get me wrong, he was just as fun to hang out with as the rest of my brothers, but when it came to school or meeting new people, he would always stand by one of us and get all quiet."

They all seemed so different from each other, and yet they loved being around each other. Like her own that was filled with monsters of all different sizes and personalities, it was a true family. 'You're pretty lucky,' Mavis thought. She always wished for a sibling. Even though she had recently gotten 'cousins' from Wayne and Wanda, it was still pretty lonely being the only monsters in their early hundreds at the hotel.

Looking at the picture some more, she noticed something. "Where's your dad?" she asked, a little hesitantly.

Surprisingly, Johnny chuckled a bit. "He wasn't able to make it because he had a job. My old man's a trucker."

"A trucker?"

"He delivers things all over the country, I think he's been to every state at least once, even Alaska and Hawaii. He would have made it home in time for the picture, but his boss gave him a job in Nebraska. Mom was so steamed. Everytime she was mad at him he would get her flowers, so when he called her and said he couldn't make it, she told him-" He tried to raise his voice as high as he could, "-'If you're planning on trying to bring me flowers again, you better bring a whole truck load!'"

Mavis laughed. "And you know what he did?" "What?" "Brought her a whole semi truck full of flowers. Took it out of his 'awesome new truck' fund."

"No way," Mavis said, not believing it.

"Yep, Mom was so surprised. She wanted to stay mad at him, but when he told her he also took a week off to try and make it up to her, she practically hug-tackled him!" The two laughed.

'Your dad sounds just as nice as you,' she thought, remembering when Johnny set up all those lights for her party, showing her all the wonders of the world in one room.

"Yeah, in fact he was kinda my inspiration for wanting to travel." "Really?" "Uh huh, in the summer my brothers and I would take turns going on deliveries with him. He would always take me to the coolest truck stops and tell me stories. It made me want to be like him, only I didn't want to just see the whole country, I wanted to see the whole world." He smiled. "I would miss him whenever he was on the road, but the times I did spend with him totally made up for it."

"You have a really great family, Johnny," Mavis commented, looking through the small photo album.

"Why did you want to know about them anyway?" Johnny asked, a bit curious. Compared to Mavis' fun, exciting, monster filled family, his own seemed kinda boring in comparison and he figured she wouldn't be too interested in hearing about them.

"Well because, I want to meet them."

There was a small moment of silence. "You, want to meet them?" Johnny repeated.

"Yeah, I do," Mavis replied quietly, "I mean, you said you wanted to be with me forever, right?"

"...Yeah?" A few months ago, Johnny had brought up the subject of becoming a vampire to Mavis. To him, it seemed like a great idea. Being a vampire sounded awesome, and he wouldn't have to worry about getting old and leaving Mavis just because of his mortality. He never wanted to leave her or hurt her.

Mavis on the other hand wasn't so sure. "It's not something you can do and then switch back to human when you feel like it," she had said, "Once I bite you, that's it, no turning back." There would be so much that would change for him, and Mavis didn't want him to regret the decision.

The two talked about it, even argued. That was their first real fight. But in the end, they made up and reached an agreement. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do," Johnny had said, holding her after they had apologized to each other, "But I never want to leave you."

It would happen eventually, but they decided not to put a 'due date' on it. They were just going to go with the flow, keep traveling and seeing the world. Enjoying their lives, together and to the fullest. Then whenever they would decide to get married, whether that was a few years from now or a decade from now, that would be when Mavis would bite him. But until that fateful day, they were just going to 'roll'.

"But what does that have to do with meeting my folks?" the red head asked.

"If we're going to get married one day," Mavis started to say, "I want them to accept me, and us."

"Why wouldn't they?" Johnny asked. Mavis didn't answer. He took her hand and looked at her. "Mavis, you are the most awesome, beautiful, fun, amazing girl I've ever met. Just sitting in the same room with you makes me happy. I don't care that you're a vampire, and I know my family won't either." He gave her a cheeky smile. "Besides, my mom has always wanted a daughter."

Mavis smiled, and quickly pressed her lips against his. The two kissed for a few moments and then hugged. "Thanks Johnny," she said, squeezing him tighter.

When the two broke the hug, Johnny looked up at the high moon. "I haven't been home in so long. Most of the time I just send them a postcard or call them." He smiled. "I guess this is a good excuse to come home for a visit."

"We could leave in a couple weeks," Mavis said, remembering the promise they made to her dad to stay for two weeks.

"That should give everyone time to come home from college, and hopefully Dad's not too far from home. Oh, speaking of dad, shouldn't we tell Drac what we're planning?"

"That's probably a good idea." Especially since they were planning on sharing everything with his family. "I think I heard Griffin say something about Murray throwing a pool party around midnight."

"Got it. Table, down and to the pool." The table slowly started lowered itself, then picked up speed and started going to the other side of the hotel. As they flew, Mavis couldn't help but feel excited, and nervous.

'You'll be fine,' she told herself. They needed to do this. She couldn't live with herself if she made Johnny a vampire and his family hated both of them for it. She needed to meet them and tell them to truth now, so that way if Johnny had to leave, maybe it wouldn't hurt as bad...

'Stop it, he won't leave you, you know that.' Of course she knew that. And she knew that no matter what their reaction would be, no matter what happened, they would get through it. She just had to roll with the punches.

'Yeah, easier said than done.'

()()()()()()()()

"Marco!" "Polo!" Marco!" "Polo!" Frank scowled. He was treading water in the pool, his eyes closed, trying to find Griffin. Swimming swiftly around him, a floating pair of glasses was the only clue to spectators where he was.

"It's hard to find you with my eyes open, how am I supposed to do it with my eyes closed?" Frank asked, getting frustrated.

"I'm sorry, is that loser talk I hear?" Griffin asked with an invisible smirk.

"Okay, you're asking for it," the monster said with new determination and a slightly evil chuckle. Smiling, he quickly started swimming towards the voice, and with a small yelp, Griffin ducked under the water.

On the other side of the pool, Murray was trying to flirt with a female mummy (and failing) while Dracula and the Wolves were relaxing on the side of the pool. Their pups were either in the pool swimming, or running around the sides of the pool and squirting each other with water guns.

"Kids, no running by the pool," Wanda said as she dipped her newborn pup's feet into the water, letting him have fun in the water too.

"Yeah, listen to your mother!" Wayne added, "And- Hey! I saw that Wally, put that leg down!"

"Look! It's Mavis and Jonathan!" Winnie called out before pushing one of her brothers into the pool.

Looking up, Dracula indeed saw his daughter and her boyfriend, wearing their swimsuits and sitting on one of the tables and slowly floating down towards them. "There you are," he said with a small smile, "I was wondering where you two were."

"We decided to eat up on the roof," Mavis replied as they climbed off. Once they were off, the table flew back inside.

"Oh! On the roof? How romantic!" Eunice commented, "Jonathan you're such a sweetheart. Frank, do you remember when you took me to the roof of Doc's lab and surprised me with a fancy dinner?"

"Yep, sure do Honey. Good times," Frank said, still looking for Griffin. Eunice gave him an unamused look (not that he could see it).

Wanting to get in the water as soon as possible, Johnny just jumped right in. Mavis on the other hand, sat down by her father. "Aren't you going to get in the pool, my little mouse?" Dracula asked.

"In a sec, Dad," his daughter replied, "I just wanted to tell you our next trip."

"You're still planning on staying two weeks, right?"

Mavis rolled her eyes slightly. "Yes dad, we're still staying for two weeks."

"Good," Dracula replied, "Because we could do some daddy-daughter activities. I was thinking, maybe some scorpion catching?" If he asked asked a year before, she wouldn't be too interested. But after being away for so long, some time with her dad actually sounded nice.

"That sounds great," she smiled. Dracula smiled back, clearly pleased.

"So, where are you two going?"

"Well," Mavis started to say, "Johnny and I thought, that we should visit his family."

"Ah, America, seems safe enough," Dracula said.

"That's not all. We decided that we would also tell them, that I'm a vampire."

The count sat up straight and looked at his daughter. The two sat in silence as a werewolf pup ran past them, though they didn't really notice. "Are you sure, sweetie?" he asked.

Mavis nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, alright then," Dracula said with a slightly worried smile. He trusted both of them, and he could understand why they would want to tell Johnny's parents the truth. If they thought it was the right thing to do, so did he.

Mavis smiled and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks dad." Dracula hugged her back, but as soon as she left his arms, he received a face full of water. Looking over to the pool, he saw Johnny, with several tiny paws pointed at him. He was holding one of the pups' water guns, and judging by his shocked and slightly scared face, it was obvious Dracula was not his intended target.

"Hehe," Johnny said, putting the gun behind his back, "Sorry about that, Drac. But, at least it was kinda refreshing, right?"

Dracula smirked. "Yes, yes, I suppose." He then turned to the pup sitting on the side of the pool. "Can I borrow this?" The puppy handed his 'uncle' the toy. "Thank you." He then pointed it at Johnny. Intended target or not, no one squirts the Undead King without getting a little payback in return.

"Uh oh," the human said before diving under the water. Mavis laughed as her dad swam after him.

"Just make sure you both watch your backs!" she shouted as she jumped into the water herself, searching for an abandoned water weapon. The game continued until nearly dawn, and before everyone went back to their rooms, they were treated to a fireworks display just before it got too bright.

It really was good to be home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the kind reviews and favorites/alerts. I never would've thought this story would be so popular, thanks guys! I had a bit of writer's block in the middle of writing this chapter, but I tried to make it good, so enjoy! **

"She's still asleep?"

"Out like a light," the shrunken head on his daughter's door replied.

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me," Dracula said. Mavis and Jonathan were up until sunrise, plus they were awake most of the day before they arrived at the hotel. There was also that 'jet lag' that Jonathan had told him about once. All of that together made for two very sleepy travelers. It was already nine at night, and the rest of the hotel was already awake.

"Just make sure she is up by eleven," he told the shrunken head, "Otherwise she'll be up all day."

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it," replied the head. Dracula then walked two floors down, and told the shrunken head on Jonathan's door the same thing. He didn't even bother asking if the human was awake. As much as Jonathan could stay up, usually half a day and and a whole night without sleep (which Dracula had to admit was pretty impressive), when he did sleep, even a hurricane couldn't wake him. Besides, the vampire could clearly hear him snoring. 'How does my daughter put up with that?' he thought.

"Okay," he said to himself as he walked down the halls, "that's taken care of. What else..." He quickly ran through a mental checklist. The staff all had their assignments, most of the monsters were out doing their own thing since there wasn't much scheduled for today. It seemed like everything was taken care of.

Glancing out a nearby window, Dracula gazed over the foggy dark forest. 'The scorpions should be out by now,' he thought with a small grin. Mavis was still asleep of course, but there was no harm in catching one or two for himself...

"Who do you think it's from?"

"I don't know, probably another magazine wanting to do an interview." The witch picked a small spider out of her hair, and placed her hand next to the elevator wall, letting it crawl up to a safer place. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal. I like Jonathan. Besides, he's pretty cute for a human."

"Oh Ethel," another witch said, rolling her eyes. The three maids were sharing an elevator, their carts filled with cleaning supplies and their enchanted brooms by their sides. If it were a normal elevator, it would have been pretty crowded. But the hotel's elevators could easily expand, capable to fit even the biggest monster.

"Well, whatever it is, it must be serious," another witch, Mabel, replied, "Interviewers don't usually send-"

Just then, the tiny bell dinged, and the elevator door opened up. For a moment, Mabel saw the tall figure of the head of the castle. But in a flash, he transformed into a bat and flew away.

"Oh!" Grabbing her broom and squeezing past her fellow witches and the cleaning carts, she ran after the vampire. "Wait! Master Dracula!"

Reaching the window, she could see that he was heading towards the forest. If she wanted him to read the letter now, she would need to stop him before he reached the forest. Vampires didn't like to be interrupted while they hunted, and if you did interrupt them, well... let's just say it was a bad idea.

Letting her broom float in mid-air, Mabel sat on it and clicked her heels. The broom took off, leaving a trail of green dust behind it.

'Maybe I can find a hare too,' the count thought. For something so small, it sure was tasty.

_"Master Draculaaa!" _

The bat stopped and turned around. The witch quickly caught up to him, and pulled up on her broom, making it screech to a stop. He sighed. "What is it?" he asked with a twinge of annoyance.

"A message, for you, Sir," The witch replied, catching her breath.

"Another one! That's the fifth one in just two months!" Dracula said in disbelief, "I'll answer it when I get done."

"But sir! I think it's important!" Mabel insisted, "It wasn't just with the rest of the mail, it was sent by owl. I saw it when I went to clean your room."

This caught Dracula's attention. Glancing up at one of the tallest towers of the hotel, he sharpened his eyes. Looking closely, he could see a pair of bright yellow eyes on a small shadowy figure.

He thought for a moment. "Alright. Thank you," he said to the witch, giving her a small smile. She gave him a small smile back, trying not to blush. With that, he flew straight up, going right through the open window and into his room.

The candles were still lit, so there was plenty of light. Resting on the edge of the window was a great horned owl. It had black and brown feathers, and huge, sharp yellow eyes. In its' talons was an envelope. "Hello there," Dracula greeted. The owl said nothing, not even a hoot. It just simply raised its foot and present the envelope.

"Fine," Dracula said, taking the letter and walking over to his desk. He shoved already opened envelopes to the side to make room. Ever since word got out about Jonathan and Mavis, almost every monster-run newspaper and magazine wanted an interview. It got to the point where they just sent him the questions (since he never agreed to be interviewed) hoping he would answer. Always the same thing: 'Do you trust all humans?' 'Are you planning on letting humans into your hotel?' 'Do you think your daughter is safe?'

The count expected no different from this letter. Looking at the yellow-tinted envelope, he saw his name written in cursive writing. Vlad Dracula. There was one thing that made this letter different than the others. Most people just called him Dracula.

There was also no return address, another quality separating it from the others. But then again, letters sent by owl never had return addresses. If you sent a letter by owl, you obviously didn't want anyone knowing your location.

With his curiosity peaked, the vampire ripped open the letter, and unfolded the paper inside. It was the same type of handwriting, with a bit of a curve at the end of each letter. He began to read:

_I was hoping to read your explanation in a newspaper, but I can see you weren't accepting interviews. So, I took it upon my self to get some answers. Letting a human, into a hotel that you have stated over and over again since its founding that it was 'Human-free'. Not only that, but you trust him with your daughter? I must say, I am a bit shocked. _

_I hope you know what you are getting into. You should know as well as anyone that humans are dangerous, and while I don't mind if you put yourself in danger, we must think about the monster community. I guess it's fair to warn you that there's been discussion of a group wanting to shut your hotel down, with myself as a member. Perhaps if you can explain your actions, then we can think about leaving your business alone. Until then, expect a visit soon._

He had to read it twice, he nearly didn't believe it the first time he read through it. "Someone is planning on shutting down my hotel!" he shouted, crumbling the paper, "I have been in business for over a hundred years! Who do they think they are! Threatening to shut me down, unbelievable!"

He scowled and tossed the letter into the fireplace. "And, 'Explain your actions'? They make me sound as if I've lost my mind!" He was certain his eyes were probably glowing a murderous red, but he had to try and calm himself down. He had to think rationally.

Glancing back up at the owl, he saw it glaring at him, and he glared back. "What?" The owl gave no reply, but the vampire knew what it wanted. "You want your reply? Fine, I'll give you one."

Pulling out his desk chair, he picked up a pen (a red and gold one with the hotel's logo on it) and began writing. "I assure you, my hotel is perfectly safe and I am of sound mind," he said as he wrote, "You're right, I know how dangerous humans can be. But I have also recently seen the better side of humans, the newer generation. I trust Jonathan, and I can assure you the rest of the community can as well. As for other humans..."

Dracula had to think about this one. Jonathan had said it himself, not everyone would accept them. But the vampire couldn't help but think of all the humans at the monster festival. They were kind, they weren't afraid. They even celebrated monsters! Just because others didn't accept them, did that mean they should still hide away from the ones that did?

Placing his pen back on the paper, he continued, "I am not planning on letting other humans in at the time, but perhaps in the future the monster community and humans could maybe meet. I would of course be happy to help make this happen, and I know several other monsters - as well as Johnathan -, who would want to help too."

He had said all he needed to say. Putting the letter in the envelope, he presented it to the owl. The bird gave him a look that he normally reserved for lowly mice, and then snatched the letter. The count didn't even flinch. Turning around, the owl took off and flew silently into the night. It directed itself east, away from both the castle and the city. Dracula watched for just a few moments more, and then turned on his heal, leaving the dark room and shutting the door behind him.

()()()()()()

"Hey Cus! Over here!" Frank said, waving the human over. He, Wayne, Murray and Griffin were just hanging out in the mad scientist themed bar area.

"Hey Frank!" Johnny happily replied as he walked over. He sat down in between the frankenstein and mummy, and while they gave him a small wave and a friendly hello, Wayne and Griffin continued playing their pool game.

"Where's Mavis?" Murray asked curiously before tossing another bug in his mouth.

"Oh, she and Drac went out to the forest," Johnny answered. Despite the mysterious letter and its contents still on his mind, Dracula made himself look happy and calm in front of the two, and became even happier when Mavis told him that she decided to take his offer of going scorpion hunting. "They'll probably back in a few hours."

"So, you were just walking around by yourself?" Frank asked.

"Actually, I was just trying to find you guys," Johnny said, "Seriously, you guys are only here like once a year and you still know your way around here better than me."

Frank chuckled. "Well, we've also been coming here since Mavis was ten."

"True." Johnny looked up at the bartender. "Hey, can I get a soda?" The waiter gave him a curious look, but got a can out anyway. "Thanks, dude." The redhead popped the tap and started gulping it down.

"I thought you only drank human drinks," Murray said, making Johnny stop mid-gulp. Right, forgot to say 'human soda'. But, then again, it didn't taste that bad, it was like a normal can of soda.

"Well, guess I just felt like trying something new," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders, but he decided not to look at the ingredients in the drink, just in case.

"Yes!" Looking over his shoulder, Johnny saw a floating pair of glasses, as well as a floating pool stick. The last three colored balls rolled into the hole, leaving the green table bare. "Pay up, wolfie."

Wayne growled, but nevertheless got out his wallet and handed Griffin the money. "Alright, who's next?"

"I'll play you," Johnny said after taking one last sip of his soda.

"Hey, this game might actually be interesting," Frank commented. He and Murray both turned their chairs around while Wayne handed Johnny the pool stick. The human was going to grab the triangular frame and start gathering the billiard balls, but before he could a spider beat him to it. He watched as the small yet strong spiders arranged the balls inside the frame in the middle of the table. When it was all done, the spiders retreated back to their 'dens', and the remaining one lifted up the frame and said "Game on!" before retreating to safety.

"Okay..." Johnny mumbled to himself as he crouched down and pointed his pool stick at the white ball. He lunged the stick forward, launching the ball over the others and off the table.

"I've got it!" shouted Wayne. In a flash, the wolfman ran off, grabbed the ball, ran back and handed it to Johnny. "Here you go, kid."

"Uh, thanks," Johnny replied, giving him a strained smile and trying to discretely wipe the drool off his hands.

"You do know how to play, right?" Griffin asked, raising an invisible eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah," Johnny replied, "I played this a few times back home. I just have to, you know, get back into the groove of it." 'It's like riding a bike right?' he thought to himself. Although, there was a reason his mom gave James the bike and him the scooter for their birthday.

Deciding to aim lower and back off on the strength a little, Johnny hit the ball again and this time, managed to hit the other balls. The green ball rolled into the top left hole, while the others were spread out all over the table.

"Nice shot," Griffin commented. The floating stick took aim, and knocked the white ball into one ball, which hit another ball, which hit another. All three of them rolled into one of the top two corners.

"Whoa," Johnny said in awe, "You really are good."

"Yeah, I know," Griffin replied, letting the pool stick rest on his shoulders.

Johnny gave him a playful glare. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna let you win, dude." He took aim, and knocked two more balls into the lower two holes. The three spectators cheered.

"And it looks like you're better than I thought," Griffin added. The game went on for another five minutes, with nine balls left in play. Griffin sunk three more, but thanks to a couple mistakes, Johnny was able to catch up. The invisible man was still ahead by one, and there were three balls left. Two straight across from each other, but they were also in the middle of the table, so there wasn't away to hit the other and get them both in the same hole.

But Johnny tried to anyway. Lining up his pool stick, he hit the first one, adding enough force to knock it into the other and send the both bouncing off the frame like marbles in a pin ball machine. One of them managed to land in the right side middle hole, the other just barely missed the left middle hole.

To make it worse, it was right across from the purple ball in the lower half of the table. It was over. Silently, Griffin lined up his shot and knocked both remaining balls into the hole. The three monsters groaned, but Johnny still had a small smile on his face.

"Nice game, dude," he said.

"Yeah, most interesting game I've had in a while," Griffin replied, "and because of that, I'm only gonna make you pay ten bucks." Frank slapped his shoulder. "Ow! Geez, I was just kidding." The four of them laughed while Griffin rubbed his shoulder.

"So, you said you played pool back home?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah, a little," Johnny replied, "A friend of the family had this rec room, and one of the things in it was a pool table. Wasn't one of my top things to do over there, but still fun to play every once in a while." He looked at the four monsters. "So, what do you guys wanna do now?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "I guess just hang out here."

"Why, you got any ideas?" Wayne asked. The human thought for a few moments before smiling.

"I think I have an idea."

()()()()()()()

"I can't wait to cook these," Mavis said, she and her dad walked up the long brick bridge to the hotel door. They had managed to catch plenty of scorpions, and even a couple hares. "Do you think we should grill the scorpions, or maybe boil we'll them. Haven't done that in a while."

"Whatever you'd like to do, Mavy Wavy." Mavis frowned, and looked up at her father.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"What! Nothings wrong!" Dracula replied, "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well, you've been pretty quiet," Mavis said, "and you just seem kinda, I don't know, zoned out."

The elder vampire tried to think of an excuse. "Oh, I'm probably just tired. You know, all the excitement with you and Johnny coming home, plus all of our friends checking in, taking care of the letters, making sure everything is per-"

"Letters?" Dracula froze. "What letters?" He mentally slapped himself.

"Oh, just the paparazzi wanting an interview with, with you and I and Jonathan," Dracula answered, "You know how annoying they can be. I remember when this place first opened it felt like they would never leave us alone." He smiled. "But if I remember correctly, you didn't seem to mind."

Mavis chuckled. "Well, it was fun talking to them, telling everyone about the hotel and how cool my dad was." Dracula grinned at that. "And of course getting my picture taken, which seemed a lot more fun before I knew I couldn't appear in pictures."

"Eh, photographs are overrated anyway," Dracula stated, "Anyway, it's nothing to worry about. The letters have already been slowing down, and once a new story hits, we'll be old news."

"Right." The vampire girl smiled at her dad for a moment before facing forward again.

"So, speaking of you and Johnny," Dracula started to say as they walked through the revolving door. Mavis opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a yell.

"Heads up!" A brown, leather ball came flying out one of the doorways at the top of the grand staircases in the lobby. Quickly raising one of his hands, he stopped the ball before it even got near them, freezing it in midair.

"Hey! No playing ball in the lobby!" Dracula shouted.

"Yeah guys, I thought we agreed just in the halls and basement," said Johnny, flying out the top doorway on a broomstick, followed by the other four.

"Actually, it's a catacomb," Murray corrected, "and I would've kept it in there if Griffin hadn't pushed me!"

"You can't prove I pushed you!"

"Hey!" The five looked at Drac, who did not look too happy. "Why are you all on brooms? Those are for the cleaning staff!"

"No worries, Drac," Johnny replied, "we found them in a storage closet. Don't worry, we'll put them back after our game."

"Game?" Dracula asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, what else would you use flying broomsticks for?" Dracula just glared at him.

"Uh, maybe we should take the game outside," Wayne commented.

"Good idea," Frank said. Taking off one of his hands, he tossed it at the ball. His hand grabbed the ball and then dribbled it back to Frank. "Try to catch me!"

"You're on, Frankie!" Murray shouted. Grinning, he pushed his broom off and followed the frankenstein monster out the nearest window.

"Come on Mavis, you can be on my team!" Johnny shouted as he flew off. He was focusing on her so much, he nearly hit the top of the window. But luckily, he realized where he was heading and quickly ducked down. "I'm good!"

Mavis giggled. "Why are you dating him again?" Dracula asked.

"Because, he's my zing," Mavis replied, "and I wouldn't have him any other way." With that, she transformed into a bat, dropping the basket into her dad's arms and flying towards the window. "See you at dinner, Dad!"

"Just tell him that if he breaks that broom I'm locking him in the dungeon for the rest of the night!" Dracula called after her. Mavis just laughed, and he couldn't help but smile.

The human could be as wild as his messy hair. He was nice and friendly, and a bit annoying at times. Fun loving, but caring. He had a way of adding a little pizzazz to the hotel, although some of his antics Dracula didn't appreciate as much as the other monsters. But overall, Jonathan was a good guy. He was actually thankful that he stumbled onto his hotel.

But one thought still poked the back of the count's mind: If he had to, would he be able to convince other monsters that Johnny was good?

**So yeah, we're finally moving into the 2nd of the two plotlines in this story. A bit of drama at the beginning, and then some shenanigans with Johnny at the end, so a pretty balanced chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. See you all next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, quick note: I can't believe I did this, but in chapter three I left out one of Johnny's brothers! (Facepalm) I can't believe I didn't notice it. Anyway, I added another brother and edited a few other things in the chapter, so you can go back and read chapter three if you want to, but I'll mention the brothers again in future chapters when Johnny and Mavis go to visit, so it's not necessary. Anyway, enjoy chapter 5! And thanks again for all the great reviews!**

After their game, everyone in the hotel headed down to the dining hall. This time, Johnny and Mavis sat with their friends, and while Mavis could still see the looks some of the monsters were giving Johnny, she tried to ignore it. 'You don't even know them, and Johnny doesn't mind,' she told herself, 'there's no reason for you to make a scene,' even though she really wanted to.

"Bring us the Ten seat platter," Dracula ordered, "But replace one of the plates of mice with chicken." The zombie waiter gave a grunt, and stumbled away.

"So, what is the 'ten seat platter'?" Johnny asked.

"Ten plates served with some cooked mice, some pickled lizard tails, some potato cockroach salad, and a dinner roll," Dracula answered, "Oh, and the table also gets a complementary basket of stickbugs bread sticks." A gargoyle waiter dropped a basket of thin, crispy breadsticks with bits of insect legs sticking out on the table, and then flew away.

"...Awesome," Johnny replied, forcing a small smile, "But wait, there are only nine of us."

"Murray always likes to get seconds," Mavis explained.

"Hey, you'd eat a lot more too if you spent most of the time in a tomb eatin' dusty old bugs," Murray argued.

"I've always wanted to see Egypt," Johnny said, "Hey, are the pyramids as cool on the inside as they are on the outside?"

"Well yeah," Murray replied, "Once the princess let us steal an air conditioning system from one of the nearby human hotels." Just then, a female mummy with a royal head dress walked by, carrying a plate of high quality monster food. Murray grinned. "How ya doin, your royal hotnes- er, highness?" he said. She gave him a look. With a nervous laugh, he picked up one of the breadsticks. "Stickbug stick?"

The princess silently declined, and walked away. Next to him, Murray could hear Griffin imitating the sound of a plane crashing. He stuffed the breadstick into the invisible man's mouth, shutting him up, and then turned back to the rest of the table.

"So Johnny," Eunice asked, "What did your mother say when you told her you and Mavis were coming home?"

"Uh, actually I haven't called her yet," Johnny replied. He hadn't really had the time, or he kept forgetting. When you're at a hotel full of cool and fun monsters, it was easy to let something like a phone call slip your mind. "But I'll probably call her after lunch." He thought for a moment. "It should be about noon back home, so Mom should be up."

"So, how exactly are you going to tell your folks about the whole 'I'm dating a vampire' thing?" Wayne asked. Dracula glared at him. "What? I'm just curious." It was one thing to hide from strangers on a plane or in a city. Humans weren't too observant, and they weren't exactly hunting down vampires anymore. But sharing a house with humans, that was a different story.

"We're just going to, you know, tell them the truth," Mavis answered. The table fell silent, and they all looked at the young vampire as if she had just ordered a big plate of garlic.

"Well, not right away," Johnny added, "but we will tell them. I mean, how can't we not?" The couple had discussed it earlier. They weren't planning on lying to his parents, but they weren't going to outright tell the truth either. They agreed that they would just keep it casual (although, Mavis would have to remember to not smile too big. After all, her fangs were a dead giveaway). Mavis would meet his family, they would hopefully all get along, and then when the time was right, she would tell them what she really was.

"After all, when I found out Johnny was a human, it didn't really matter," Mavis reminded them, "Because I knew the real him, and it didn't matter if he was human." The monsters all nodded, Mavis had a good point. Still, she could see some worry on her father's face. "Don't worry, Dad," she said, "We've got everything planned out. It'll be okay."

Dracula gave her a small smile. 'It's a good thing I trust them,' he thought, because he wasn't completely sure he trusted this plan. But, then again, what else could they do?

"Uh, Johnny, where do you live?" Wanda asked, moving the topic onto something not quite as worrying.

"Glen Ellen," Johnny answered, "It's a city not too far from LA. Do you guys know any monsters that live near there?"

"I don't think so," Frank answered, "Way too populated."

"Well, that's the beauty of living in a small town," Johnny replied, "Not too crowded, but not too far from the city."

Mavis couldn't help but wonder about California. The only other state she had been to was Hawaii, and from judging by what Johnny had said about his home state, the two were pretty different. She would have to ask him more questions about California later. But right now, she wanted to catch up with her family.

After lunch, the two went up to Mavis' room. "Mom will probably want to talk to you a little," Johnny said, "You know, just to say hi."

"Right," Mavis replied. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous. But her common sense overshadowed it. 'Come on, if they're Johnny's family, they're going to be as nice as him. Right?' She took a silent deep breath as Johnny dialed the number. He also set it to speaker phone so Mavis could hear.

One ring, two rings, three rings, fou-

"I told you, no matter what my son says we're not interested in buying fireworks," a woman said, or rather shouted, "Now stop callin-!"

"Mom?" Johnny said, "Wait, Mom, it's me! Jonathan?"

"Huh? Oh! Johnny!" The woman's voice changed from annoyed and hostile to happy, "How are you."

"Great mom," Johnny said with a smile. Mavis smiled as well. 'She sounds nice,' she thought.

"Where are you, are you still in Europe?"

"Yep, I'm in Romania," Johnny answered.

"Romania, huh? Careful not to get bit by any vampires," she joked.

"Ha ha, yeah, right," the red head replied. Well, she didn't ask if he met any vampires, so technically not a lie. "So uh, mom. I'm planning on coming home for a visit."

"Well, it's about time!" Mavis giggled at that. "It'll be nice to see you again, and I bet your brothers would agree. When are you coming home?"

"In about two weeks," Johnny answered, "And, I'm bringing someone."

"Bringing some-? Oh, if you're bringing home some exotic pet you bought off the street somewhere, I'm making you both sleep outside!"

"What? No!" Mavis tried to hold in her laughter. 'She kinda reminds me of Auntie Eunice,' the vampire thought. "Mom, I'm bringing home a friend, I met her in Romania."

"Oh. Well, can I talk to her?"

"Yeah, hold on." He passed the cell phone to Mavis.

"Hello?" Mavis said.

"Oh, so you are real." "Mom!" Johnny said, slightly embarrassed, "not cool." Mavis giggled again. "Oh come on sweetie, I was just teasing. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Madison." Now that she could listen more closely, Mavis could hear a bit of an accent in Madison's voice. It was different from Johnny's voice, though they both were still friendly sounding. It wasn't a European accent, so apparently there were different American accents. She made a note to ask about this later.

"My name's Mavis. It's nice to meet you too," Mavis replied, "and I can't wait to meet you and your family in person."

"Oh, well how nice! Thank you," she replied, "Could you pass the phone back to Johnny." Mavis nodded, but then remembered that she couldn't see her. "Sure, hold on."

Mavis passed the phone back. "Okay, I'm back Mom. So, do you think you'll be able to get everyone together?"

"I think I can round up most of your brothers," his mother replied, "As for your dad, who knows? He's on his way to South Dakota now for some delivery, but maybe I can get him to come home."

"Thank Mom," Johnny grinned, "Okay, we'll see you in a couple weeks."

"Okay, bye hun. Love you!"

"Love you too, Mom." With that, he pressed the red button, and shut the phone. The two sat in silence for a few moments. "So, what do you think of my mom?"

"She's... something," Mavis answered. The two laughed. "But really, she's really nice, and funny."

"Yeah, she's great," Johnny said, "and I think she likes you."

"Really?" "Totally!" Mavis smiled softly. 'Well, one down, seven more to go.' "Come on," she said, standing up, "the night's still young." She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"So, where are we going?" the red head asked, curious now.

"Just a secret staircase," Mavis said, "to a room that's pretty cool. You up for it?"

"You know it!" The two quickened their pace, and they eventually found a spiral staircase, hidden behind a bookshelf. "So, how many secret passages does this place have?"

"I don't know," Mavis answered, "It seems like just when I think I've found them all, there's another one right around the corner. Found this one when I was seventy-eight."

"Wow. But, doesn't Drac have a map of this place?"

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Mavis asked with a grin, showing off her fangs. The human couldn't help but smile. Her sense of adventure was just one of the many things he loved about her.

"Couldn't have said it any better myself." The two continued walking down the curled flight of stairs. It felt like they were going deeper and deeper into the castle's core. 'Drac sure did go all out,' Johnny thought.

"Just a little farther," Mavis said. Johnny glanced over the railing, and could see a faint orange light, and the gleam of something shiny. What was down there? As they walked farther down, the light grew. When they finally reached the bottom stepped, Johnny couldn't help but stare at the object in the center of the room: an enormous pipe organ. "Whoa," he said.

The room had a dome ceiling, making the room seem bigger than it was. Hanging on the stone walls were several torches, all close together and in front of the grand instrument. Spider webs hung carefully off the walls (although none were near the organ) and with all the light in one area, there were still some corners of the room that were still hidden in the shadows.

"This is just, awesome!" Johnny said excitedly, "Like, classic castle scene right here!" Mavis laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so. Hey, listen to this," she said. She looked upwards, cupped her hands, and yelled "HELLO!" Her voice bounced off the stone walls of long tunnel and echoed for nearly a full minute.

"Sweet!" the red head grinned, "Oh! My turn!" He cupped his hands and yelled "THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!" Those four words echoed even longer than the last one.

Turning towards the organ now, they both walked towards it. Even with a layer of dust on the pipes, they still shone in the light of the fire. "I wonder why this is down here," Johnny asked, "I mean, shouldn't this be on some stage or something."

"I guess organ music was popular when the hotel was first built," Mavis replied, "and when it stopped being popular, Dad just put it down here. I remember when I first found this thing, I wanted to hear what it sounded like. I mean, it was so big, I could only imagine how loud it was." She rolled her eyes slightly. "But one of the guards found me down her before I could try and took me back up stairs."

"Well, why don't we try now?" Johnny suggested. Wiping off the dust on the leather bench (and then casually wiping it on his shorts) he sat down in front of the massive instrument. "Room for one more." Grinning, Mavis joined him. They gazed up at the now much-taller organ, and then looked at each other.

"Ready?" Mavis asked. They both let a finger hover above a random key in front of them. "Ready." Johnny replied. They got ready to play, and-

"Hold it!" Mavis jumped while Johnny let out a surprised shriek. Turning around, they saw Dracula standing by the stairs, smirking.

"Dad!" Dracula just smiled at his daughter. "I know, sweet fang, but I just couldn't resist," he told her as he walked over to them, still chuckling a little.

"How did you even get down here?" Johnny asked.

"I flew right behind you and waited," Dracula said simply, "they don't call monsters 'creatures of the shadows' for nothing, Jonathan. By the way, I hope I didn't give you too bad of a scare."

"Ha ha," Johnny said sarcastically, though he was only annoyed for a moment. "So Drac, what's the story with this thing?"

"Oh, the contractor I hired to build this place put it in for free," Dracula explained, "'Every castle needs an organ' he said. Well what's the point of it if we never use it?"

"It's still pretty cool," Johnny commented.

"Hey Dad, can you play the organ?" Mavis asked. Sure it wasn't exactly a ukulele, or even close to it, but Dracula was known to surprise her when it came to his musical talents.

"Well, I'm no professional, but I can play it a little," Dracula replied. That was enough for them. "Well then, come on! Play something!" Johnny said as he started pushing the vampire towards the organ while Mavis took one of his arms and pulled him towards it. "Alright alright," Dracula said, "Maybe just one song."

The two grinned, and stood behind him, awaiting their own private concert. Dracula moved the small bench out of the way, choosing not to sit down as he played. He hunched over the keyboard, raised his arms, and put them down almost as quickly as he raised them. A long note came out, followed by several short notes. The instrument shook slightly, shaking off the tiny specks of dust. The sound was even louder than they expected. It echoed off the walls and sent shivers down their spines.

He continued to play Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Each note sounded eerie and creepy, but also pretty in a weird sort of way. He knew just how long to hold the long notes, and when it was time to play collection of short notes, his hands glided across the white keys with not a moment of hesitation. After playing the piece for about two minutes, he cut it off. After all, it was an eight minute long piece (also, he didn't really want to admit this, but he sort of forgot the last few sections of the piece. Over a hundred years without practice was a long time after all).

"Wicked," Johnny said in amazement.

"Dad that was incredible!" Mavis said, running over to him, "You've gotta teach me how to play this sometime." That made him smile.

"Sure, sweetie," he agreed, "but now, we should get back upstairs. It's almost bedtime, come on." The two started following the vampire back towards the staircase, but as Johnny turned back to look at the organ again, he noticed the silhouette of a doorway. "Hey, what's that over there!"

The human started watching towards it, but a quick hand grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground. "Whoa, hey, what did I just say?" Dracula said.

"Aw, come on dude! Just one more room!" Johnny pleaded, moving his feet towards the open doorway, despite still hanging off the ground.

"Yeah Dad!" Mavis added. She didn't notice the doorway the last time she was down there (although she didn't really have a chance to explore) and knowing there was another secret room or passage just waiting to be discovered, made her even all the more anxious.

"Well..." If he remembered correctly, there were a couple rooms down here, and one of them had a staircase that led back to the main lobby, so they wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.

"Taking that as a yes!" The red head wiggled out of Dracula grip and ran towards the doorway, taking out his cell phone and using the artificial light as a substitute flashlight. "Come on May!" Mavis quickly ran to catch up with her boyfriend (and easily taking the lead).

"Alright fine," Dracula said, walking behind them, "one more secret room, and then you two go to bed, okay?"

"Yeah Dad!" "Sure thing!"

"And don't get too far ahead of me!"

"Well then, walk faster!" he heard Johnny shout. Scowling slightly, Dracula turned into his bat form, and flew in front of the two. 'If anyone's going to lead, it's me,' he thought with a smirk.

As the three continued on their own little adventure, a certain letter was finally making it's way to the original sender...

()()()()()()

The sun was rising, but hidden by a curtain of clouds that covered the land with a grey shadow. The wind and snow blew harshly, but the delivery owl was used to this kind of weather by now. Even with the wind, he could still spot a prey from up in the sky. But now was not the time to hunt. He only focused on the dark castle coming up over the horizon in front of a tall mountain.

To anyone else who would have been trudging through the snowy blizzard, they wouldn't even see the castle. A witch's spell, cast over a hundred years ago, making the building invisible to those who didn't live there.

The owl landed gracefully on the small balcony of one of the towers. The windows were shut and locked, but he knew how to open them. He raised a talon, and after fiddling with the lock for a few moments, the windows flew open. Flying inside, the owl dropped the letter on the desk and then landed on the fireplace mantel, warming himself up and getting a perfect place to spot any stray mice running around the room.

"It's nearly bedtime," a voice said, "but I suppose I could stay up a little longer to see what our dear Drac has to say. Stepping away from her coffin, she stepped into the light of the fireplace. She was wearing a long, dark purple dress. It was a traditional style, with long sleeves and a piece of black fabric tied around her waist.

Her hair was straight and dark brown, and her eyes were an icy blue. Raising a hand, a small wave of purple dust pulled out her chair, and she sat down. Opening the letter, she could tell this wasn't the reply she wanted to hear.

"Traitor," she mumbled, her eyes sharpening, "If he thinks there's a 'good side' to humans, he's even more of an idiot than I thought." She tossed the letter on the cluttered desk. It was on the top of a pile of papers, which were various bills, papers that needed her approval, a blueprint, and a personal calender that was filled with dates for meetings, more of a business calender than a personal one actually. There were also a couple scattered pens, each one with the letter 'L' written on the side of them in a cursive, gold font. Standing above all the random papers and stationary was one small painting in a frame. The painting was of a pair of vampires, Dracula and his now-deceased wife.

"If it wasn't for the sun, I would be heading over to that hotel right now," she told the owl. She then smirked. "I'll have to wait until tonight to start flying." She wasn't afraid of the blizzard. There was only one thing that could truly make her lose her nerve, and it sure wasn't Mother Nature. "Goodnight, Dunstan." The owl simply nodded.

With that, the vampiress made her way back over to her coffin, awaiting for the sun to set, and for the cold dark night to be her cover.

**So, the mysterious sender is revealed. Don't worry, she'll show up again really soon. Also, a little behind the scenes: The organ scene was inspired by a pic I found from the Art of Hotel Transylvania book. I don't have the book yet (though it's at the top of my Christmas list), but I found the pic online (and unfortunately, I couldn't find it again. Don't you hate it when that happens?) and I really wanted to use the room in a scene. So, that's what I did, and it was a lot of fun. I just love the idea of the hotel having so many different rooms and secrets, it just makes me want to go there even more!**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll have the next chapter up soon. Please review, and have a nice day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Sorry this took longer than usual. I found a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula at the library, and I just had to read the whole thing. It took about three days, but it was totally worth it. Definitely different from HT, but still very good and I recommend it. But now, it's time to get back to the story! Hope you all enjoy! **

Two more nights passed at the hotel. Things were calming down from the couple's arrival, and the weather was slowly changing from summer to autumn. It wasn't too noticeable of a change, if you were awake during the day. But if you were awake at night, which got colder quicker during the day. Currently, Johnny was wearing an old grey sweatshirt he had found in the bottom of his bag (thankfully the witches put an 'instant clean' spell on it so it didn't smell) and Dracula was wearing a black turtleneck rather than a black dress shirt, as well as his infamous cape.

"So, what are we doing up here again?" Johnny asked. That night, Mavis had been invited by Eunice and Wanda for a Girls Night, and Eunice specifically said 'No Boys'. So, Johnny was spending the night with Dracula, who was currently leading him up to the top floors of the hotel.

"Running a hotel isn't all fun and games you know," Dracula replied, producing a clipboard from underneath his cape, "If it's getting colder, I should make sure there aren't any leaks in the roof before it starts raining."

"Oh, I get it, old castle?"

"No, zombie builders." He gave a small sigh. "Zombies, can't live without them, can't expect them to do a good job on the roof. Although they did do a great job building the lobby."

Reaching the top of the stairs, the two entered an empty room. It was one of the highest in the hotel, with tan painted walls and red carpeting. There were four long couches, a fireplace at the far end of the room, and a wide open window with a beautiful view of the nighttime sky.

"Whoa," Johnny said, looking around, "What room is this?"

"Mostly a lounge," Dracula answered, "or a party room. I think Murray had a New Years Eve party up here a few decades ago."

'If these guys throw awesome parties on just normal days, I bet their holiday parties are huge!' Johnny thought with a grin. He would definitely have to come here on a holiday.

"Alright people! Let's get to work!" Dracula announced, clapping his hands. Out of nowhere, dozens of spiders appeared and began crawling up the walls. Surprised, Johnny gave a small yelp and took a couple steps back. "Relax, they're just looking for holes or mold spots in the ceilings."

As Johnny looked up at the active arachnids, Dracula continued. "Since they have a better chance of finding them than we do, the spiders make webs where ever they think the ceiling needs some touching up. Then later, the witches see the webs, and they know what areas to put spells on."

"That's actually pretty cool," Johnny commented. Despite this, he still flinched when a spider crawled down right in front of him and Dracula.

"We're all done in this room, Mr. D!" it said in a high voice.

"Good, on to the next room," Dracula replied.

"You heard him! Onto the next room!" The spiders and jumped off the ceiling or whatever wall they were on, and lowered themselves down on their web, which they quickly pulled off and took with them to the next room.

As they left, Johnny noticed something by the window. A small, dark figure. "Huh? Hey, Drac, did you see that?" Dracula looked at the window closely, but didn't see anything.

"Probably just your reflection," Dracula said as he continued walking out the door. Shrugging it off, Johnny followed him. Neither of them noticed the small, blue eyed bat outside the window watching them leave.

()()()()()()()

"Are you looking at my cards?"

"No, but I think I've won the game!" Using his nose, he flipped his cards over. "Three Counts and a Knight!"

"Aw what!" "You cheated!" "I thought we were playing 'Go Fish'?" As the four hydra heads argued, the fifth one rolled her eyes and continued reading her magazine.

In another corner of the room, a fish-man and a couple gremlins were playing darts. One of the gremlins threw his dart, and it landed just a couple inches below the board, along with three other darts. "Seriously!" Frustrated, he stomped over to the dessert cart that had been brought in earlier, where Murray was stuffing his face.

Behind the cart, Frank, Wayne and Griffin were distracted by one of the newest additions to the game room. "Come on! Jump it!" Wayne shouted.

"Hold on!" Griffin shouted back, "and no backseat-playing!" The floating pair of glasses leaned closer to the game cabinet, practically pressed against the screen. Three buttons were pressed down, and the tiny digital monster leaped over the obstacle and reached the finish line, missing the flying pitchfork by only a couple digital centimeters. "WINNER!" the game announced as the monsters cheered.

"Alright, move over, I'm next," said Frank, moving over to the controls. Because he was so big, the other two practically had to lift themselves over his shoulders to see.

At that moment, the double doors opened and the army of spiders crawled in, followed by Dracula and Johnny. While the human was happy to find what looked like another fun room in the hotel, Dracula wanted to get back to work. After all, the sooner he got done, the sooner he could go back to doing something he actually enjoyed (not that he didn't have pride in keeping a well-maintained hotel).

"Alright, everyone out," he said, "The game room is closed until further notice." The monsters started to argue.

"Aw come on, Drac," said Frank, "We'll keep it down, and we won't bother the spiders." Hearing this, Murray (who had picked up one of the spider workers and had his mouth wide open) placed the spider back on the wall (it gave a tiny "Huff!" before crawling away), gave a sheepish smile and inched himself back towards the other monsters.

"Fine," Dracula said. With that taken care of, the Count directed his attention back to the spiders while Johnny was more curious in the new video game. It looked pretty retro, with 16 bit graphics and simple sound effects.

"So, monsters play video games too?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, but one of the guards said Drac just put this in a few months ago," Wayne said. Johnny smiled. 'Guess it worked,' he thought. Before they had left, and even during their trips (writing letters), Johnny had suggested different ideas to make hotel a little more modern, including new technology like tvs and computers and free wi-fi. He just assumed being the slight control-freak that Drac was, he just ignore the suggestions.

"So, I guess you finally took a step into the 21st century, huh Drac?" Johnny joked.

"Yeah, yeah," the vampire replied slightly annoyed. The monsters chuckled, and then looked back at the screen.

"So, anyone got a quarter?" the red head asked. A small pile of quarters floated in front of him. "Thanks Griffin." Johnny took the change, pushed one coin through the coin slot, and pressed 'START'. From what it looked like, the main character was a generic monster (green skin, three eyes, and claws) who was running for the nearest cave, dodging flying pitchforks and hot torches.

Johnny quickly got used to the controls, and made it to the next level in less than a minute. "Wow, you're a natural, Kid," Murray commented. Johnny grinned.

"Hey Drac, do you want the next game?" Johnny asked, looking back at the vampire.

"No thank you," Dracula replied. He didn't really see the appeal of the new game. It seemed very obnoxious and annoying, not nearly as fun as bingo (he still couldn't really understand why so many monsters were bored by it. 'To each their own,' he thought, 'but they don't know what they're missing'.)

"Aw, come on Drac!" Frank said as the others added in.

"I am working," Dracula replied, scowling slightly.

"Actually, you might as well take a break, Sir," said a tiny voice. A spider had lowered itself down in front of the count. "We see a lot of holes in here, so it's gonna take a while to make sure we find them all. Could just be dart marks, but better safe than sorry, Sir." With that, the spider zipped back up to the ceiling.

Looking back at his friends, Dracula could see they were all giving him pleading looks, as if to say "You know you want to!".

"Alright fine! One game." He walked over to the game, which was still going and was starting him at Level 2. As soon as it started, the virtual monster started hopping in place. "Why aren't I going anywhere?" Dracula asked, "I'm pressing the buttons, what is the problem?"

"Dude, joystick!" Johnny said, grabbing the piece of plastic and moving it to the left. The character obeyed, narrowly missing a wave of fire. Dracula took the joystick and kept moving it left. His character was moving quickly (and still hopping since Dracula kept pressing the button). But since he was at the far left of the screen, he didn't stop in time to avoid the wall of thorns. It was a direct hit, and the green bar at the top shrunk. His character also started flashing.

"What's going on?" Dracula asked, "Why is he doing that?"

"Don't worry, just a temporary thing," Johnny explained, "but you lost some life. Just jump up to the next platform."

"I am jumping!"

"Double jump! Double jump!" Griffin yelled.

"Press the button you're pressing now, only faster and two times in a row!" Wayne added. Dracula followed the instructions, and his character jumped up to the higher platform. Dracula gave a small smile of accomplishment, but it didn't last too long. Angry villagers were coming his way.

"Now what?" Dracula asked, "Double jump?"

"No, the mob's too big!" Frank yelled.

"Roar Drac!" Johnny told him, "Press the red button!" Dracula looked down at the controls. Green button, blue- ah! Red! He slammed his hand down, and the character let out a furious roar. The virtual humans all cowered and ran away. Dracula laughed. "Who's chasing who now!"

"Great job, dude!" Johnny cheered, "But you still have to beat the time limit!"

"Time limit?"

"Go! Go! Go!" Murray shouted. Dracula moved his character forward, and an array of flying pitchforks came towards him. Before he could even blink, his character started flashing again and the green bar was only half full.

"Dodge! Blue button!" Wayne told him. Dracula held down the blue button, and the character crouched down and ran on all fours now. The level stretched on, and Dracula was actually getting the hang of it. Jump, jump, dodge, jump. Keep moving forward, watch out for thorn bushes. He glanced up at the digital clock. Only twenty five seconds left, and there was a large army of humans in front of the finish line. Luckily, there was a flashing pair of words: Power Up! Dracula pressed the green button, and his character touched the words.

The digital monster started to glow. "Do it!" the monsters behind him shouted. With a grin, Dracula pressed the red button, and the monster let out a mighty roar that not only made them run, but disintegrated any flying pitchforks that were coming towards him. With a simple move to the left, Dracula completed the level.

Dracula laughed. "Well, I guess it was better than I expected," he admitted.

"So," said Johnny, "now that you've mastered the basics, let's see how you do in Two Player mode." There was a bit of a challenging tone in his voice, and Dracula was not one to say no to a challenge.

"Okay Mr. Big-Shot," he said with a smirk, "You're on." Johnny happily got out a quarter, but it slipped out of his fingers and rolled away from him and out the door. "I've got it," he said, running after the coin.

Running into the hall, Johnny spotted it rolling away, but slowing down and about to tip over. "Yes!" Suddenly, it was kicked by a cyclops walking to his room, making it roll down the staircase. "Seriously?" Nevertheless, he climbed down one flight, and began searching the next floor down. 'It couldn't have gotten too far,' he thought as he got down on his hands and knees and looked around the hall.

"Looking for this?" Surprised, Johnny looked up and saw a tall brunette with his quarter in her fingers. 'How did she get down here?' he thought, though his confusion didn't stop him from smiling. She looked nice, and was definitely pretty. She looked young but sophisticated, probably in her late twenties or early thirties. Her brown hair was straight and silky, she had a bright pair of blue eyes. She was wearing a simple purple dress with a black ribbon around the waist.

Standing up, Johnny thanked her. "I was getting ready to play a game," he told her as he pocketed the coin, "when it just kinda, you know, rolled away." She giggled. "So, never seen you around here before."

"I like to keep to my own home," she told him, "but I am looking for someone. Count Dracula."

"Drac? Just follow me, I was just heading up to see him," Johnny told her. She gave him a thankful smile and followed him up the stairs.

"So, what are you doing here exactly?" she asked.

"Oh, just relaxing for a couple weeks before seeing my folks," Johnny answered, "Besides, Mavis wanted to see her dad again and I kinda missed him too."

"No," she said, standing on the same step as him rather than behind him, "I mean, what are you doing here." Johnny looked at her confused, but then realized what she was talking about.

"Right, the whole 'human' thing," he said, his smile faltering slightly, "Don't worry, Drac's cool about it."

"Oh I know, that's all the papers talk about," she said, passing him as they reached the top of the stairs, "The human, who made his little way into our monster world." Her voice developed an icy, accusing tone. Suddenly she didn't seem so friendly.

She looked at him. "You just smile, make a few jokes and suddenly you think you can just waltz in here whenever you like," she asked. Johnny tried to speak, but the words were caught in his throat. She took a step towards him, making him press his back to the wall. She pressed her hand to his chest, pushing him back farther. Her nails barely touched him, yet he could still feel how sharp they were.

Her face was dark now, her blue eyes narrowed. Johnny felt himself start to sweat. Honestly, he hadn't felt this afraid since he stuck his hand through that skeleton girl's ribcage and found out monsters were real. But even Dracula's worst glares and threats paled in comparison to her.

As his angriest, Dracula would look like he wanted to kill him. She looked like she _was_ going to kill him.

"You shouldn't be allowed in here," she hissed, barring her fangs, "None of your kind should be here. You don't belong here, and you will_ never_ belong in here. And I will make sure of that."

"Is there a problem here?" asked a man with a familiar Transylvanian accent. The woman took her hand off his chest, and Johnny felt like he could breathe again.

Standing in the doorway of the game room was Dracula and the others, all glaring at the woman. "Vlad, I was just looking for you," she said, as of nothing had happened.

"What are you doing here?" Dracula asked, still glaring.

"I told you in my letter I was coming, remember?" she said with a small smile. Dracula's eyes widened slightly, but only for a moment. "Shall we continue this conversation in your study?"

Dracula said nothing, but started walking down the hall. Taking that as her cue, she followed the count, glancing at the other monsters for a moment, but paying no mind to them.

"Looks like Queen Anti-fun is here," Griffin mumbled as he and the others walked over to Johnny, who still had his back to the wall.

"You okay, Cus?" Frank asked, grabbing his shoulder and lifting him off the floor a little.

"Yeah, yeah I'm cool," Johnny replied, catching his breath, "Who was that lady anyway?"

"Genevieve," Wayne answered.

"Or Eve, as most of us call her," Murray added.

"Wait, you guys know her?" Johnny asked, surprised.

"Johnny," Frank started to say, "In our community, there are three types of monsters. The common or average ones, like Wayne and Murray and most of the monsters in this hotel. There are the more well known ones like Drac and me. Then, there are ones like Eve, who are known by every monster, either because of rank or reputation. For her, it's both."

Johnny said nothing, but his eyes told him to continue. "Eve is part of this monster council. They're the ones that makes rules to keep monsters safe, set the record straight when no one else knows for sure, and help think of plans in case a group of us is found out. That hasn't happened in hundreds of years, but we still have the council around for, you know, safety reasons."

The red-head nodded, understanding. "But, what makes her have such a big rep?" The monsters looked at each other, almost reluctant to share.

"Now, these are just rumors," Wayne started to say.

"But, Eve is one of the few monsters who," Murray continued, pausing at the end.

"Who still hunt humans," Griffin finished.

Johnny's eyes widened. 'No wonder I felt so freaked out by her.' "Wait, but Drac said that vampires don't drink human blood!"

"It's more like they don't do it anymore," Frank said, "Not that it was a big thing back then. Most monsters didn't have a reason to, plus it was too risky. But some, whether it was in self-defense or for food if they had no other choice or, or because they wanted to, they did hunt humans."

Johnny looked away for a moment, but looked back at the monsters. Even with this new knowledge, he trusted them, just like they trusted him despite the history of humans. There maybe was a few human-hunting monsters left, but Johnny was certain there was only one in the hotel, and she just arrived.

"But wait," Johnny said, "What does she want with Drac?"

"Who knows?" Wayne said, although they all had somewhat of an idea.

"Guess we'll have to wait and ask Drac later," Murray added. The four monsters (plus human) all stood there silently.

"Or we could follow them and try to listen to what they're saying," Griffin suggested.

They all looked at each other for a moment, and then quickly went down the hall towards the room where the two vampires were.

**I was going to write more, but I decided here was a good place to stop. So, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to see a little more of Eve and what she says to Dracula. Hope you guys have a nice Thanksgiving, and I'll see you in the next chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

Dracula led Eve to his office. Unlike most of the rooms in the hotel, it was actually pretty small. There was just enough room for a desk, and a small loveseat to rest on if he ever had to work through the day. Most of the papers were just bills, which Dracula always kept track of and made sure were paid on time. He didn't spend too much time in here, if anything, most of the work he had to do around the hotel involved doing things outside of the small office.

"So, what are you doing here?" Dracula asked.

"You know, you still haven't said hello to me," Eve said. Dracula scowled, and the brunette vampiress smirked.

"Hello," The count said with as little enthusiasm as possible, "Now, what are you doing here?"

"If you remember my letters, I told you I wanted to know why you let a human into your hotel," Eve explained, "and if it was good enough, we would leave you alone and you can go on your merry way. So, why? Didn't you ever think of, oh I don't know, kicking him out?"

Despite being angry, Dracula let out a small chuckle. "Trust me, I've tried," he said, thinking of all his attempts to get rid of the young man. He was glad none of them worked. "But that is all in the past. Jonathan is welcome at my hotel now, and nothing will change that." He spoke with authority, with a tone that would let anyone know he was not going to back down or change his mind. But Eve barely noticed, she was just sitting bored on the couch.

"What makes you think he's safe?" Eve asked him, raising an eyebrow, "Anyone can put on a smiling face and make you think they're a nice fellow. What makes you so sure he isn't planning something right now?"

"I trust Jonathan," Dracula stated, "and I know he won't ever try to hurt the hotel or any monsters in it. I mean, honestly, when you first saw him, did you think he was that kind of human?"

Eve thought for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose he does seem like more of the idiot type. No wonder you two get along." Dracula shot her a glare, but she ignored it. "But what makes you think he won't tell others about this place. That's how our kind was first found out. One person tells another, stories are told around a fire, and pretty soon a whole country is after our heads. You may be thick enough to trust him, but what about others?"

Dracula opened his mouth to speak, but his words caught in his throat. Truth was, Jonathan was planning on telling other humans. Less than two weeks from now. People Dracula had never met and knew nothing about. Eve actually had a point. But then, the friendly faces from the Monster festival flashed in his mind.

"What makes you think other humans are dangerous?" Dracula countered, "It is the twenty-first century."

"You know as well as I do that no matter how much time passes, you can't change a human's true nature," Eve said, her eyes narrowing.

"And how exactly do you know that?" Dracula asked, "Monsters have been in hiding for centuries, we've never even communicated with the modern day human before now."

"A year ago you thought that was a good thing," Eve commented.

"Only because I didn't know," Dracula replied, "Look, I'm not saying invite all humans to come here, but I am saying that we can trust some of them. I trust Jonathan, and I don't regret it one bit, and I know Mavis has never felt happier. Even if we can't trust the others, we can trust him.

Eve sat their silently, looking at her lap. "Trust, safety, happiness. Weren't those all things you felt a hundred years ago, back in your old castle? But we all know how that ended, don't we Vlad?"

The Count felt something snap. Growling, he leaned forward, trying to hold himself back from attacking her. Eve just glared right back, not flinching at all. Dracula knew as well as she did that Eve could handle herself in any fight, even against the famous count. He also knew that any physical action against her could easily be used as blackmail, which wouldn't help his case.

Backing away, Dracula took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "This is different," he said simply.

"Is it?" Eve asked, "We're still in a world dominated by humans. We still have to protect and hide ourselves. You may feel like you're making the right choice by allowing the human to stay here, but you are still putting your guests _and_ your daughter at risk to meet the same deadly fate. Now, I will ask you one more time: Will you make him leave?"

Dracula stood firmly. "No." Instead of glaring at him like he expected, Eve just looked unimpressed.

"Very well," she said, standing up. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a white envelope. It was blank except for a waxy seal with the logo of the Monster council on it. "This just states that 'Hotel Transylvania' is on probation for one month."

"Probation!" Dracula repeated.

"I will be living close by," Eve continued, "and keeping an eye on the hotel. If I see anything that is putting monsters at risk or is below the standards of an approved monster safehouse, I will use my power to temporarily shut it down. You will face the council, and if we agree upon it, your hotel will be shut down permanently. Understand?"

Dracula couldn't believe it. Walking past him, Eve looked over her shoulder. "You can fight this all you want, but I assure you: As long as there is a human allowed in here, I _will_ shut you down. And just remember this: I never lose."

The count looked at her. "We shall see." The vampiress got ready to leave, but she stopped again.

"Oh, and tell your friends it's rude to eavesdrop." There were a couple noises and voices heard outside the door, and Drac mentally facepalmed. Sure enough when Eve opened the door, the four monsters and Johnny were right outside.

Dracula shot them a glare, but they were too busy watching Eve to notice. But the vampiress barely looked at them. They weren't worth her time. She looked at the human for a moment, and when she saw him take a step back, she gave a satisfied smile and walked away.

But, before she left the hall, she nearly ran into another monster. Looking down, she saw a medium sized, female vampire with short black hair and bright blue eyes. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.

Eve looked at her, and then looked down at the floor. "Pardon me," she said so quietly that only Mavis could hear. With that, she went down the nearest flight of stairs.

A bit confused, Mavis shook it off and walked towards her friends. "Hey guys," she greeted, "Um, what's going on? Who was that?"

The monsters (and Johnny) all immediately looked at Drac. "Well," Drac started to say...

()()()()()()

"I can't believe it!" Mavis shouted.

"I know!" Dracula agreed, "It's completely ridiculous!"

The monsters were all sitting in a lounge, Wanda and Eunice included, and Dracula had just finished explaining the situation.

"Miss Nosy," Eunice commented, "Just because you're Princess of the Monster Council doesn't mean you can waltz in and shut down Our Drac's hotel! Besides, have you see the way she dresses! Next time don't do your shopping in an abandoned dress shop!"

"Kinda missing the point here, Honey," Frank said, but Eunice just ignored him.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, I don't want this place shut down," Johnny added, "I just got here!"

"They can't shut us down," Mavis said, "I mean, we haven't done anything wrong!"

"I completely agree with you, Dead-ums," Dracula said, "but they're the council, and are in charge of the entire monster community. If they believe something is putting Monster-kind at risk, it's hard to change their mind."

"So, we just need to make sure they don't think this place is dangerous!" Griffin added.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna do that?" Murray asked.

"Yeah," added Wayne, "We already broke the biggest rule by letting a human stay here, no offense Johnny."

"It's cool," Johnny replied with a smile.

"Well, isn't it obvious guys?" Frank asked them. They all looked at him. "We do, nothing!"

"..."

"Uh, did your brain fall out again, Frankie?" Murray asked, pretty much saying what they were all thinking.

"No no, listen," Frank argued, "We all know Johnny's not dangerous, right? And we all know he would never do anything to shut down the hotel, right? So, then there's no problem! We know Johnny would never cause any trouble, Eve doesn't get her evidence, there's no case, the probation period passes, and the hotel stays open!"

Dracula thought for a moment. "That could actually work."

"And hey! Johnny and Mavis are leavin' in a week or so to visit his folks," Wayne added, "So he won't even be here half the month! There's no way the council will find a reason to shut this place down!"

"We still should play it safe," Dracula said, "Knowing Eve, should look for any and all excuse, even the smallest thing."

"Don't worry, dude," Johnny announced, "I'll lay low and won't cause any trouble!" It wouldn't be as fun as before, but that was just a small price to pay, and he was more willing to pay it. The redhead thought for a moment. "But, does this mean no more flying table races or Hotel Style Quidditch?"

Dracula shook his head and Johnny pouted a little. "But hey, ask me again in a month. After all, I've been wanting a rematch."

Johnny smirked. "No prob." After all, he had been wanting to race the Count again, and waiting another month wouldn't be too bad.

The relieved monsters began to leave the room. "Man, this'll be a piece of cake, right Drac?" Murray asked. Dracula still wasn't a hundred percent sure, but nevertheless, he gave the mummy a confident smile. In the back of the group, Johnny looked over at Mavis. She still looked a little upset about it, but before he could ask, Mavis smiled and told him she was fine.

"Like Uncle Frank said," Mavis told him, "We have nothing to worry about. I guess I'm just still a little stunned about the idea of losing this place. But I know we'll be okay." With that, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and Johnny smiled at her, happy to know she was okay.

Still, an idea lingered in the back of the human's mind...

()()()()()()()()

The young vampire let out a yawn as she walked down the hall. The sun was low in the sky, it would be setting in about an hour, and she was still in her daygown (though, it wasn't too embarrassing, so she didn't mind wearing it outside her room if she had to). She woke up early to see if Johnny wanted to go for an early breakfast, just the two of them. They couldn't eat on a flying table above the castle, but they could still eat together.

Reaching the bottom of the flight, Mavis could see a light coming from Johnny's room in the middle of the hall. Curious, she walked towards it and peeked inside. He was hunched over something, touching his face. "Johnny?"

The redhead turned around, letting out a surprised yelp and nearly dropping his hand mirror. In his other hand was a small sponge with blue makeup on it, and it wasn't the only thing that was blue. More than half of Johnny's face and both of his arms were blue. Mavis noticed that lying on the bed was hairspray and hanging over the chair by his desk was a familiar olive green coat.

"Oh, hey May," Johnny said, giving her an innocent smile, "What's up?"

"What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"...Trying out my Halloween costume early?" Johnny said. Mavis gave him a look. "Yeah, didn't think that would work." He sighed. "Okay, I was going to wear my Johnny-stein disguise today, and maybe the rest of the time I'm here."

"Why?" Mavis asked as she walked into the room. She moved gracefully, and even in pajamas she looked beautiful. He nearly smiled, but then he saw her face, and how hurt she looked. He quickly looked away.

"I just thought, since it's my fault that vampire lady's trying to shut this place down, I thought it would just be better if I pretended to be a monster again. I mean, I know most of the monsters here know me, but that's only like, two hundred monsters. And if I just tell the other monsters who come in here that I'm not a hu-"

"Stop." Johnny looked up. "Just stop." He looked over at Mavis, who's face was a combination of anger and sympathy. "Johhny, stop blaming yourself. This isn't your fault. And, and take off that makeup! I told you, I don't care if you're a human, I still love you! And that's all that matters! I don't care what that Eve or anyone else has to say."

While he was touched, Johnny still hated that he made her upset. "I'm sorry," he said, "I guess it was a stupid idea. I just, you know, wanted to help."

"I know," Mavis replied, giving him a small smile, "but you don't need to. We're all going to be fine." The couple sat on the bed silently. Glancing at his girlfriend, Johnny could tell that there was still something wrong.

"Something else on your mind?" he asked, giving her a small smile. She looked at him, and sighed.

"It's just so unfair," Mavis started to say, "the way they treat you, they don't even know you! And, I know you said it doesn't bother you, but it still bothers me! I still hear monsters whispering about you, insulting you and I can't even do anything about it because _I'll_ be the one in trouble! Although I'm starting to think it'll be worth it. And now Eve and those other council members think you're a danger here, you haven't even done anything! They're treating you like a criminal and it's, it's just not right!"

Frustrated, Mavis kicked the nearest solid object, which happened to be one of the legs on the wooden desk. When she kicked it, a huge crack split through it and nearly made the entire leg collapse. "Whoa," Johnny said.

Embarrassed, Mavis apologized and turned away. "Hey, it's cool," Johnny said quickly, "Vampire strength, I get it. I'm sure I can find another desk." When he didn't see her smile, he decided to continue. "You know why I don't get upset when other monsters talk bad about me which, by the way, I hear it too." He may not have super vampire hearing but he still had ears.

Mavis silently shook her head. "It's because I still have you. They can call me every name and insult out there, but they still can't change the fact that my life is the best it's ever been."

He took her hand and continued. "I get to stay at a hotel full of monsters! I'm friends with Frankenstein, the Wolf-Man, freaking Dracula! No other human can say that! I get to travel all around Europe, having fun and living life to the fullest! And, the best part..." Johnny looked Mavis straight in the eye. "I have the best, most beautiful, coolest, awesome-est vampire for a girlfriend, who cares about me and makes me feel happy, and is someone I want to make happy. My Zing."

Mavis smiled, her eyes getting moist. "Johnny..."

"And I know that no matter how many monsters I make friends with, there are probably gonna be a dozen more who still don't like me, and that's cool. Because I still get to be with you."

"And I won't let anyone make you leave," Mavis added, squeezing his hand.

"Really?" Johnny said, "because that sounds like you're doing something, even though before you said you couldn't do anything."

Mavis let out a small giggle. "Okay, I get it." She couldn't stop the insults or other monsters from hating him, but she was fighting for his right to stay at the hotel and their love, and that was enough. "I love you."

"I love you too," Johnny replied. They both began to leave forward, and Johnny closed her eyes. But then she felt her hand on his shoulder. "Wait," she said. When he opened her eyes, there was only a faint cloud of purple dust. In a flash, she was back with a wet washrag.

She wiped the blue makeup off his face, and when she was finished, she said "There, that's my boyfriend." Johnny smiled, and they continued what they had started, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

When it was over, Johnny remembered something. "Oh, hey, not that I mind, but why'd you come down here anyway?"

"Oh, I wanted to see if you wanted to go down to breakfast early," Mavis answered, "Just the two of us, plus we can make our own plates instead of having to order them."

"Yeah! But, is the kitchen even open yet?" Johnny asked. Mavis lifted her hand, and around it was a rope bracelet with a key attached to it. On the key was a label that read 'Kitchen'. The redhead grinned.

"One of the perks of being the owner's daughter," Mavis said simply, "Wipe the rest of that makeup off and let's go." Johnny grabbed the washrag and wiped off every inch of blue makeup before eagerly catching up to his girlfriend and racing her down the stairs.

**Bit shorter than the others, but I still liked writing it. Any chance I get to write a cute Jonavis scene is always fun. Anyway, now you guys know what Eve is up to, and she'll be showing up frequently the next few chapters. And before too long, we'll be meeting Johnny's family. So, a lot of good chapters ahead that I can't wait to start on.**

**Hope you guys are still enjoying this! Please review and I'll see you in the next chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8

_**TOP STORY: 'Is Human-Free the Way to Be?' **_

_**The 'Hotel Transylvania Human' debate continues, and it may not reach an end anytime soon. Dracula, the owner of Hotel Transylvania and who is allowing a human to stay in his hotel, continues to deny interviews. But, Councilwoman Genevieve spoke with the Count earlier this week.**_

_**"I believe he is being naive on the issue, as unbelievable as that may sound," says Genevieve, "He barely knows him, and yet he refuses to ban the human from the hotel. He is turning a blind eye on the hidden dangers just for the sake of a so-called 'friend'. And even if this human can be trusted -which I believe is highly unlikely- what about others?"**_

_**Throughout the year, we have reported on Mavis Dracula and Jonathan the human traveling all throughout Europe, and even parts of the United States. "Letting his daughter travel in the monster world is just another mistake Dracula has made," Genevieve continues, "What happens if she is discovered? Monsters are supposed to stay in the shadows, not because we enjoy it, but for safety; Not just for us, but all monsters. If humans found any one of our homes, or Dracula's hotel for that matter, then there would be a war on monsters, not unlike centuries ago. It could be decades until we could feel safe again, all because of one monster's ignorance and selfishness."**_

_**While there are plenty of arguments for the Anti-humans side, there are monsters who are for humans. "Johnny is a great kid," says one of the frequent guests at the hotel, Mr. Franklin (Frank) Stein. "He's not just 'some human'. He cares about all of us, and he's not going to rat us out to anyone or do anything to cause trouble."**_

_**When a poll was taken at the hotel, 52 percent of the guests there don't mind having Jonathan stay with them and/or like the human. 48 percent aren't as comfortable with the idea, but this hasn't caused them to have their vacation some where else. Another interesting fact is that attendance at Hotel Transylvania is down twelve percent compared to this time last year. **_

_**As for the monster population, 37 percent say that letting Jonathan stay at the hotel and know about the monster world is fine. 53 percent say it's not a good idea, and 10 percent have no comment. As for possible contact with the human world, our poll says that 93 percent are against it. **_

_**'Monsters' will continue to cover the debate. **_

()()()()()()()

"Well, at least we've got some support," Johnny stated, "I mean, 52 and 37 percent is still a lot of monsters."

"I know," Mavis replied closing the magazine and placing it on the bed, "I just wish it was a little more even." The situation wasn't hopeless by any means, but they didn't have the majority either.

The hotel was a week into it's probation, but nothing had really changed. Dracula worked a little more, and there were more guards on duty in case a certain vampiress stopped by, but other than that things were running smoothly. There were also no signs of Eve, despite saying that she would be watching them.

"So, has Drac seen this yet?" Johnny asked, looking at the magazine again. Since vampires couldn't have their pictures taken, Dracula wasn't on the cover, but the controversial topic was announced in big bold letters on the bottom half of it.

"I was lucky to get a copy before he ordered them all to be thrown out," Mavis replied, "I guess we're not subscribing to this magazine anymore."

"I'm kinda glad you did," Johnny said, flipping through the pages.

"Why? It didn't exactly have good things to say about us."

"I know but, I just like learning about the monster world, you know?" Mavis looked at him curiously. "I mean, it's kinda mind-blowing when I think about all the places in the world, and monsters and humans are living side-by-side, and we don't even know it. There are so many cool and amazing things out there, but it bums me out that I've only seen the human side."

"Well..." Mavis scooted closer to Johnny and grinned, "What do you want to know?" After all, he had taught her all about the human world, why not return the favor?

"Well, I know a lot of monsters come here to relax and stuff, but are there any other places like monster tourist spots or conventions or whatever?"

Mavis thought for a moment. "Well, I know Uncle Frank and Auntie Eunice go to this Mad Scientists' Creations convention every couple decades. I've also heard of some places where monsters usually stop by and just hang out. Most of them are hidden away so only monsters can find them, but Auntie Wanda and Eunice say they're pretty fun."

"Has Drac ever been to one?" Johnny asked.

"I'm sure he has, but I've never really asked." She smiled as she imagined her father and possibly her mother having fun with all their monster friends on a secret vacation. If there was one thing monsters knew how to do, it was how to throw an amazing party (even in secret).

"Maybe after all of this, we can go to one," Johnny suggested, "And we can take Drac too. I mean, he needs to get out of the castle sometime, might as well make it awesome."

Mavis chuckled "I'd like that." A family vacation sounded like a great idea. "Anyway, is there anywhere else you want to know?"

"Hmmm..." The redhead thought a bit. "What about monster holidays? Do you have any of those?"

"Not really, at least not ones as interesting as some human holidays." They had celebrated some holidays during their trips. They looked at Christmas lights and ate a Christmas dinner when they went to France, and on Valentine's Day they gave each other gifts. But she couldn't wait until October to celebrate Halloween, and she was hoping her monster family would celebrate it with her.

"I remember when I was little, Dad did have this one annual party that he put on for over a decade. It didn't really have a name, but I guess you could call it a Winter Ball."

Johnny laughed a little. "A ball?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't too fancy. I mean, yeah we dressed nicer than usual and Zombie Mozart and Beethoven played most of the music for the party, but it was still a lot of fun.

"Autumn and winter is the favorite time of the year for a lot of monsters. Most monsters don't mind the cold, and it gets darker earlier. Anyway, for like twelve or thirteen years, Dad would throw this party. Monsters would come, and it was just a giant dance for everyone to enjoy, although Murray or Griffin would usually start a snow fight or something like that to drive Dad crazy."

"Why'd you guys stop having them?"

"Well..." Mavis rubbed the back of her neck. "You know how there are few things Dad has around here that he still kinda enjoys but to everyone else it's kinda-"

"Old school?" "Yeah." The two giggled. "After a few years, we decided that having everyone over on my birthday and whenever they wanted to take a vacation was enough. But it was pretty fun while it lasted. I remember this one year, we had some new music, which was pretty rare for my dad to even allow. Before that, we only had classical songs that you had to waltz to, or maybe a fun fiddle song that was a little more livelier. Occasionally the Mariachi band would play a song, but it was mostly classical.

"A couple hours into the dance, everyone was starting to get a little bored. Most of the snacks were gone, and everyone had been on the dance floor at least once. I actually thought the party was ending. But then Wayne suggested a song to start the party up again. He said he had heard it a few times when he was out hunting, coming from a village somewhere. He never got too close, but he heard it well enough to know it was fun to listen to, and to dance to.

"Uncle Frank, Murray and Griffin gave the Zombies a break and gathered the instruments they would need, and Wayne gave them a beat. It was kinda like the fiddle dance songs, but different. It was boppy, and it made you want to grab the nearest person, no matter who they were, and just start dancing!"

"Sounds like some powerful tunes," Johnny commented, "I think I know what you're talking about." He took out his iPhone and scrolled through his vast collection of songs. After searching for a few seconds, he found the song he was looking for. "One of the tracks my grandparents played for me and my bros once, and on a record! An oldie, but a goodie."

As soon as he pressed play, a trumpet blared through the mini speaker, letting its voice be heard. A saxaphone and a trombone joined in, and soon a jazzy melody filled the room. Mavis eyes widened, and she was so excited she was practically floating off the floor. "Holy rabies, that's it! What is that?"

"Jazz," Johnny answered, "And you're right, it is fun to dance to." They listened to the song for a minute or so, and then Mavis continued her story.

"When Dad first heard it, he was surprised. Not as surprised when he first heard your style, but still surprised. But like everyone else, it only took him a few notes to get hooked. I remember grabbing his hand and pulling him into the middle of the dance floor, he must have been so embarrassed. But when I asked him to dance, he didn't refuse.

"It was a lot different than waltzing, and I loved it! When we finished, everyone clapped. I don't think I'll ever forget it. Since Wayne only knew a couple songs, the dance ended about half an hour later, but I was so happy and full of energy, I don't think Dad was able to get me to bed until an hour after sunrise." They both laughed. "But, I remember Dad and I playing in the snow when everyone else went back to their rooms, and we even drank hot cocoa." She smiled softly. "It's one of my favorite memories."

Johnny smiled as well. "Sounds like a good time. It's too bad you don't have pictures of it or anything, I would've loved to see that."

"Actually, Dad did hire a photographer," Mavis added, "and he was also a sketch artist."

"So, you _do_ have pics," Johnny said with a grin.

"Yeah, but it's kinda embarrassing. I mean, you do not want to know the style of clothes back then."

"Oh come on, I wanna see!" "No way!" Johnny glared playfully. "Don't make me do it!"

"Do what?" Mavis asked, raising an eyebrow. The redhead didn't answer. Instead he lifted his arm and held it over the lower half of his face. He widened his eyes and lowered his voice.

"Maaaavis! I command you to let me see the party pictuuuuures!" he said, doing his 'Hypno-eyes.'

The young vampire laughed. "Okay okay! You can see them." Still laughing, she went over to her desk, and opened one of the drawers. "You're a dork, you know that?"

"I thought you said I was adorable."

"Fine. You're an adorable dork."

"Eh, I'll take it." Mavis giggled again, and sat back down on the bed. In her hands was a faded piece of yellow paper. "Okay, promise not to laugh?" Johnny nodded, and Mavis handed him the drawing.

The sketch was done in ink so it wouldn't fade, and there was a light layer of color from a paintbrush. Dracula didn't look too different, maybe a few years younger. As for Mavis, she looked about seven or eight (so maybe sixty or seventy? He still hadn't quite figured out how to convert human age to vampire age). Instead of red or black, she was wearing a sapphire blue dress. The style of the dress was definitely something you would see in a Charles Dickens story or a documentary on European history, but nevertheless, it worked on Mavis. On the skirt, there were light blue and black ribbons, as well as a pair of twin blue bows in her hair, which was still shoulder length. He smirked a little. "Johnny..."

"No no, I mean, it's really nice," Johnny said quickly, "I think you look cute."

"Really?" If Mavis had blood in her cheeks, she would've been blushing.

"Yeah. Besides, it doesn't look as embarrassing as some of the pictures when I was little." He grimaced slightly. "Peanut butter sandwiches and school picture clothing, not a good combo."

'Remind me to ask your mom about them when we meet her,' Mavis thought smiling slightly. "Anyway, do you want to know anything else?"

"Where does everyone live?" Johnny asked, "I mean, I know Murray lives in a pyramid or something, but where does everyone else live? And is there really a Frankenstein's Castle?" He couldn't help but imagine an old spooky castle, abandoned and worn on the outside, but full of life inside, with electric beds and chemistry sets and other Mad Scientist necessities.

"Well, Wayne, Wanda and the pups live in England. It's a long way to travel from there to here, especially with an army of hyperactive wolf kids, but Dad makes sure one of our chauffeurs picks them up somewhere along the way so they don't have to walk the whole way here. Murray lives in Egypt, Griffin... I'm not actually sure where he lives. He's the best hider out of all of us, so he can live anywhere. He could have several homes he switches back and forth to, or he could just travel around and live off the road like you do, Johnny."

"Huh." He would have to ask Griffin sometime. Of all the monsters he knew, he knew the least about Griffin. If he ever ran into him (or could even find him) he could ask him a few questions.

"And yes, Frank and Eunice do live in a castle, but it's one they bought themselves, not their creator's castle. I think it's in the middle of Europe somewhere, but it's well hidden. There isn't a lot of mad science-y stuff either, but Eunice told me they added a new breakfast nook."

"Not really what I was expecting, but cool! You guys are lucky you get to live in cool castles and ancient pyramids and stuff like that."

"Yeah, I guess they are kinda neat when you think about it like that," Mavis admitted, "But to us, they're just our home."

"...Right." Mavis looked at him. Instead of being in his usual cheerful or goofy mood, Johnny seemed deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Johnny looked up.

"Everything I guess, or at least, the stuff you told me. It's just that..." Everything was so similar. Annual parties, doing silly stuff with your parents as a little kid and having embarrassing pictures to prove it. Normal homes (at least normal to them) and traveling to visit a friend or relative. Holidays, traditions, even things like clothing and styles of music changing over several decades. There were differences, and yet when looked at in another way, they were practically the same society. "If people just knew how similar monster life was compared to our life, maybe they wouldn't be freaked out about meeting each other."

"And vice versa," Mavis added with a slightly somber tone.

"If only it were that easy." The two looked up, and saw Dracula standing in the open doorway.

"Dad?" The count walked in. "I was just making my rounds, making sure everyone was doing their job and checking if Eve's stopped by. I just thought I'd check up on you two." He frowned when he spotted the magazine on the bed, and mentally burned a hole through it as if it would solve all the problems. "I thought I told them to throw out all the copies of that issue."

"They did," Mavis replied, "I just grabbed this copy before they could throw it out."

Dracula wasn't too happy, but he supposed he couldn't stop Mavis from reading about it, and she and Johnny did have a right to know both the good, the bad, and the unfair.

"How did they even get these statements and poll numbers anyway?" Johnny asked, "I never saw any reporters here."

"Probably sent their Spirit Reporters," Dracula replied, "The monster paparazzi's hidden weapon. Ghosts that practically haunt you until you give in and give them what they want. Then they just fly off back to their typewriters and give the story."

"Sound just as bad as the guys from TMZ." The two vampires looked at him, confused. "Human reference, sorry."

"Maybe you should just accept an interview," Mavis suggested, "I mean, they barely touch on our side of the argument."

"No, they'll just twist my words, almost all of the papers and magazines are on Eve's side."

"Well, how can we show that our side is good, without someone changing it?" Johnny asked.

"We could present something," Mavis suggested, "To our guests, and any monster or press member who wants to see it."

"That's a great idea, my little Moth-ball!" Dracula grinned, "I give presentations to our guests every year! All I have to do is change to 'For Humans' instead of against them, and we've got it!"

"Wait, is this going to be like a lecture or something?" Johnny asked, sounding a bit bored already. He wanted to have a presentation, but he didn't want it to be long winded and lecture-y, otherwise no one would listen to them.

"No, it's not going to be a 'lecture'," Dracula said with a slight glare, "My presentations are always informative as well as entertaining. I mean, I use a projector, what more could you possibly want?"

"'Informative', huh?" said a familiar voice, "You sure about that, Drac?" A pair of glasses floated out from behind the vampire. "Look, if anyone should give the speech, it should be one of these two," Griffin said, gesturing to Johnny and Mavis (not that they could see it).

"Why do you sound like it would be a bad idea if I did it?" Dracula asked, slightly offended.

"No offense Drac, but do you remember some of the things you said at the last presentation you gave." He lowered his voice to sound like the Count and added a bad Transylvanian accent. "Humans are getting fatter so they can overpower us, and they are wearing less clothing, so they can use the extra clothes to strangle us."

"W-What!" Johnny said, practically on the floor laughing.

"Okay okay, that's enough," Dracula said, scowling, "And what did I tell you about eavesdropping?"

"This year my room was on this floor," Griffin replied, "I was just walking down the hall when I heard you guys talking, so I decided to add in my two cents. Besides, it's not eavesdropping if you're not trying to be sneaky about it. I was standing here in plain sight, not trying to hide or anything."

Dracula mumbled something the invisible man couldn't quite catch, and then said "Whatever, just go."

"Okay fine, I'm going. Geez, be angry at a guy trying to help," he said as the floating pair of glasses left the room.

"Maybe a presentation wouldn't be the best way to go," Mavis said, "But, we need to have a way to have everyone know about Johnny, not just 'the human that was allowed in the hotel'."

"A Q&A!" Johnny shouted.

"A Q and what?" Dracula asked.

"Instead of having to read or hear what papers and magazine interviews have to say, they could ask their own questions," Johnny explained, "and get unchanged answers."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Mavis agreed, "Monsters could ask all three of us questions, and finally hear our side and what they want to know."

The more Dracula thought about it, the more good it sounded. "I'll set it up. I'll tell the headguard to start alerting the papers, and we can send out fliers around the area so monsters that aren't staying here will know and still be able to come."

"Johnny and I could start making the fliers," Mavis added with Johnny agreeing. It was the perfect idea to get more support and to finally set the record straight.

With new work to be done, Dracula quickly ran off, practically flying down the hall. "We better get to work too," Mavis said. However, just as the two stood up, Johnny heard a small beeping sound from his pocket.

"What is it?" Johnny looked at his phone and saw the envelope icon. "It's a text. Two of them actually. Must be early night or late afternoon back in the states." He clicked on the icon.

_Message 1/2: Hey Johnny! It's Jake. Can't wait till u come home! I heard u got a girlfriend. Can't wait to see her and ask y she picked u :P jk bro. Mind sending a pic? Not just 4me, but 4mom 2._

_Message 2/2: (cont.) She hates that she has to wait another 5 days for you to come home. I'm surprised she hasn't got on a plane and got you herself._

Johnny would have laughed at that if it wasn't for a new problem. "That was my brother, and he's asking for a picture of you, you know to show Mom. What do we do now?"

"Hold on, I think I have something." Mavis quickly walked back over to her desk, and opened another drawer. There were a couple framed pictures inside, kept there for safe keeping. She handed one of them to Johnny. "Here." It was a painting of Mavis and Dracula, only it was full of color and was so well drawn, it practically was a photograph. "It was painted eight years ago, but it should work," she said with a hopeful smile.

Johnny turned off the flash so he wouldn't get the glare of the glass, and he zoomed in onto Mavis. He took the picture, and when he saw it on his phone, it looked like he had just taken a picture of Mavis rather than a painting. Quickly, he sent it, and after a few seconds, he got a reply.

_Message Reply: Cool bro, she looks nice, and Mom says she looks cute. C u in 5 days._

"It worked," Johnny said with a grin.

"Awesome." With that problem solved, it was time to get to work on the next one. There was a study two floors up that they could use for paper and pens, and there was extra supplies in the library if they needed. Standing up, Johnny slipped his phone back in his pocket and quickly followed Mavis out the door, not noticing that his phone had bumped the side of his pocket and slipped out, landing on the bed.

This wouldn't have been a problem, he would figure out it was missing and Mavis would find it and return it later. Not a big deal. At least, it wouldn't have been one if not for the dark colored owl flying by the room and spotting the abandoned phone out of the corner of his eye.

()()()()()()()

Her temporary home was completely hidden. The darkest corner of the forest. Only a fraction of light could reach it. Even so, she found herself restless. As long as that human was still in her world, she could not and would not relax.

The sound of fluttering wings made her sit up a little. "Any luck hunting?" she asked. Dunstan said nothing. She couldn't blame him for being grumpy. All the forest trees and clutter wasn't satisfying for an owl used to wide open spaces. Besides, she herself had bad luck hunting food. Rabbits and mice were migrating to a different forest, so she couldn't find many of those. But there was an abundance of scorpions, so they both still had something to eat at least.

Dunstan held up on of his talons, and clutched in it was a small, rectangular piece of technology. She grinned. "But I see you've brought me something. Good job, Dunstan."

Eve took the phone, and looked over it. It could contain notes and prime evidence she would need to prove that she was right and Dracula was a fool. She quickly located what she could assume was the power button. "Let's see what you're hiding..."

Before Eve could turn it on however, the phone turned on itself and started making a noise. She gasped slightly and took a step back, but kept a tight grip on the phone. There was no number, just a word: Restricted. She could assume it was a telemarketer. Seeing an 'Ignore' button, Eve pressed it and silenced the phone. She took a silent sigh of relief.

Looking up, Eve could see a pair of yellow eyes in the dark, giving her a curious look. "What are you looking at?" Eve asked curtly. The owl said nothing, and she went back to her investigation.

The phone had tiny icons on it, and one of them was a picture of a white camera on an orange background. When she clicked on it, it opened up a selection of over a hundred pictures. Selecting one at random, Eve could see it was Jonathan and Mavis (or rather, Mavis's floating clothes) in front of a tall, metal structure covered with bright lights.

Sliding her finger across the screen, Eve was able to scroll through the pictures one by one. They were all the same, vacation photos of the happy young couple. By the way Johnny was posed, she could tell that he was the one taking the pictures, not a photographer, which meant no one else could accidentally find out the girl's secret.

"I guess he's smarter than I thought," Eve commented. At the end of the digital photo album, she finally found a picture that was different than the others. It was just Mavis -all of her, not just her clothes- smiling (mouth closed so you couldn't see her fangs) and looking happy. Even with all the pixels, Eve's sharp eyesight could still tell it was a painting.

Despite having a job to do, Eve couldn't help but stare at the picture. 'She has her parents' blue eyes,' she thought, 'At least she doesn't have Drac's big nose.' She smiled slightly, a small wave of nostalgia washing over her. But she couldn't just stand there, so Eve shook the feeling off and went back to the menu screen.

Scrolling through, she found nothing incriminating, just strange icons. What on Earth could a watermelon getting cut in half or an agitated cartoon bird mean? But at the bottom of the menu, four icons stayed the same. One of them was an envelope. Curious, Eve clicked on it.

There was a list of names that Eve didn't recognize, as well as an arrow next to them, most of them pointing in the same direction. Clicking one, she learned that they were simply short messages.

"Like digital telegrams," Eve commented, slightly amused. Going back, she clicked on the top message, with an arrow pointing to the left rather than to the right.

It was sent only a little more than half an hour ago, but rather than a short message, Jonathan had sent a picture. The painting of Mavis. Glaring at the device, Eve's sharp nails nearly cracked the screen.

Sure, there was nothing in the picture that pointed out Mavis was a vampire, but he was still telling others about her. If he could send pictures to anyone in the blink of an eye, who's to say he couldn't send one of the other revealing photos? Who's to say he couldn't tell all his human friends about the monster world, sending the story through the phone without Dracula even knowing.

The device was full of evidence that if sent could have humans hunting after them before sunrise. "I knew we couldn't trust him," Eve hissed, "There was more to him than just a friendly face."

Turning off the phone, she placed it in her sleeve, making sure not to lose it. She finally found proof that this 'friendly human' had the potential to doom them all. That even if he didn't want to harm them (which she didn't believe for a second) just having him in their world was dangerous.

She glanced outside the mouth of the cave. The half formed moon was nearly set and the sun would be rising. All she had to do now was wait.

**I'm so so so so sorry for the long wait! This chapter gave me such trouble. I actually wrote over 2000 words two weeks ago, but the more I tried to write it, the more I wanted to pull my hair out. One of my friends suggested I take a break, so I deleted what I had and stayed away from the story for a couple weeks. And it worked! I thought of a much better idea, and I feel like the chapter was a hundred times better than the first draft. Thank you so much for being patient, and I'll try to update soon. Please review, and have a nice day! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Finals week sucks. That is all. Hope you all enjoy the new chapter :)**

Two more nights had passed. While Dracula and the other monsters were spreading the word about the upcoming Q&A, Johnny and Mavis were preparing to go to California. In fact, the two events were just one day apart from each other, which was the main reason why Johnny hoped it would go over well. He didn't want Mavis worrying about the hotel's future all throughout their two weeks in the states.

Johnny glanced up at the clock, which before had served no use, but since he lost his phone -assuming he just misplaced it or a gremlin ate it- he became reliant on it to know the time. Only about half an hour left.

Reaching into the worn-yet-functional olive green backpack, he pulled out an orange tee shirt with yellow stripes. He looked at it for a moment, then tossed it over his shoulder. Pulling out another article of clothing, he found a blue sweater that would have been perfect, if not for the big yellow 'J' sewed to the front. His mom's homemade sweater was warm, but it was more like something to wear around the holidays. Tossing it on the bed, Johnny continued digging.

A navy blue tie (he forgot why he even packed it), maybe if he found something to go with it. Several tee shirts from different countries and cities, a bit too casual. "Socks, socks, scarf, socks, sock with a hole, why did I bring so many socks?" When it looked like he had found something, it only took one whiff to make him toss it across the room, mentally reminding himself to do some laundry before he left.

Finally, Johnny felt emptiness. All articles of clothing had been taken out, and strung around the room like party streamers. Even with all the choices, Johnny still felt like nothing was right.

He didn't want to seem too casual, but he didn't want to look all stiff and business like. He was thinking School picture attire or something you would have to wear to a restaurant so they would let you in, but nothing he had packed fit the description. The closest thing was a pair of dark blue pants and a light blue dress shirt, but the pants had somehow been ripped and the shirt smelled like it hadn't been washed in months (which probably wasn't too far from the truth).

"What now?" the redhead thought. If the hotel's reputation and ability to continue being open wasn't on the line, he wouldn't care. He would wear what felt comfortable, and focus on making a good impression. But it was, and with monsters like Eve there, he had to have his clothes make a good first impression too.

"Ya know, if you wanna have a good outfit, add a little monster flair to it!" the shrunken head hanging on Johnny's door suggested.

"What, like, get a cape like Drac?" Johnny asked.

"No, that would just be ridiculous," the head said, mentally rolling her eyes, "You've already got a monster outfit, just take it apart and mix it with some of your human clothes!"

Mix it with human clothes... that's it! Running to the closet, Johnny pulled out the green jacket from his Franken-Homie disguise. He remembered what Mavis had told him before, but he didn't think she'd mind if he just wore the jacket.

Five minutes later, Johnny was dressed and ready to face any questions the monsters would throw at them. "Thanks Shrunken Head Lady!" Johnny said with a smile.

"_My name_ is Nyeki!" the head corrected.

"Right, sorry," Johnny said with a sheepish grin, "Thanks Nyeki."

"You're welcome. About time someone thanked one of us for our work." With that Johnny dashed down the hall.

Two floors up, Mavis was getting ready herself. She decided to wear the long sleeved dark purple shirt she had bought on one of her trips, as well as a medium length black skirt, light purple stockings, black heals, and of course her cape. When she put it on, it made her smile. All monsters had their own styles, even certain groups like mummies or werewolves wore certain accessories or colors. Vampires were the only ones in monster history who ever wore capes, and wearing one herself gave her a small boost of pride.

She briefly thought of putting her hair up in a ponytail, but decided to have it kept down. Looking down at herself, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. "Maybe, a little bit of shine." Nothing too fancy, something the witches gave her a long time ago and one of her favorite birthday gifts.

Opening the drawer of her bedside table, she took out a gold pin, the letter 'M' reflecting light from the lit candles scattered around her room. Fastening it to her shirt, Mavis looked down again and grinned. "Perfect," she said. Deciding to go the faster route, she leaped up in the air and was lighter than air (literally). The puff of violet smoke flew out the window and traveled down at least twenty floors before going through another open window and transforming back into a solid form.

The room where parties were usually held was now crowded with wooden chairs and anxious monsters. At the front of the room, there was a stage with a single microphone and red curtains gracing the hotel's logo, closed and hiding the vampire that was behind them.

"Have they all arrived yet?" Dracula asked the head guard.

"Not yet, Sir! We are still waiting for a couple more reporters, but they should be arriving shortly!"

"Good, good," Dracula said, pleased, "And the snacks?"

"Spleens and Blankets, crackers, screem cheese, and cupcakes are on the table, Sir," the knight answered, "Open to any and all guests, and ready to serve."

"Excellent, that is all." "Right, Sir." As soon as the suit of armor left, Dracula took a deep breath. Not too long now. He wasn't panicking, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little worried.

Opening the curtain just a little, he could see the entire crowd. Everything from cyclopes to werewolves, floating brains to fish people. Human sized flies, monsters that moved like gelatin, gremlins and trolls. Monsters of every shape, size, type and color.

Some were sitting down in their seats, checking their cameras and getting their pencils ready to write. Others were up and chatting or over by the snack table. In the middle of the room, sitting with the perfect posture of a noblewoman, was Eve. Catching Drac's gaze, she gave him a small smile. It was the kind of smile a child would give their sibling, the kind that says "I know something you don't know."

Scowling, Dracula closed the curtains and gave a small huff. 'She's just as aggravating as she was decades ago'.

"Hey Dad." His thoughts interrupted, Dracula turned around and saw his daughter, wearing an outfit that made her look beautiful and at least two decades older.

"Hello, my little mouse," Dracula said warmly.

"Is everything ready?" she asked, taking her own peek at the crowd.

"Just about," Drac answered, "Where's Jonathan?"

"Probably got caught in the crowd," Mavis replied. Knowing her boyfriend, he probably was a little distracted by the new monsters, some types he hadn't even seen before. If there was one thing he loved, it was meeting new people and seeing new things. "Don't worry, Dad. He'll be here. Are you ready?"

"Of course," the count said with a toothy grin. Reaching into his cape, he pulled out several notecards with his handwriting on them. He caught the look his daughter was giving him. "What?"

"Dad, I thought we weren't going to have any speeches," Mavis reminded him.

"Just a little introduction," Dracula insisted. Mavis still wasn't too pleased, but it was only few notecards, so she didn't continue the argument.

"Hey, I'm not too late, am I?" The two vampires looked to see Johnny.

Rather than his neon green tennis shoes, he was wearing brown leather ones. He was also wearing tan pants and a black tee shirt, though the fact that it was a tee shirt was hidden by the dark green jacket. The jacket had been dusted off (becoming a shade darker), and two sets of buttons at the bottom of the jacket had buttoned. As for his hair, it had been combed through so it was flattened a little, but it still had that 'poof'. Overall, it didn't look half bad.

"So, how do I look?" he asked.

"Definitely different, but in a good way!" Dracula commented.

"You look great, Johnny," Mavis smiled, walking over to him..

"Hey, you look great too," Johnny replied, "And Drac! Love the new look, dude!"

Dracula looked down at his outfit, the same one he always wore, and then looked back up at the human. "Ha ha," he said flatly, "alright wise guy, get ready, we are starting in a few minutes. The couple chuckled, and took their seats behind the curtains while Drac, despite having a chair, continued to stand.

The reporters as well as monsters who were simply curious sat down, and in only a couple minutes, all the chairs were full. As soon as the long hand and the short hand met at the number twelve on the clock in the room, the lights dimmed. "Here we go," Dracula mumbled, checking his notecards one last time. As soon as he saw them, Johnny's face fell a little. He gave Mavis a look, but she simply gave him a smile that said "Don't worry".

As Dracula put the cards away, the curtains opened. The monsters politely clapped, and Dracula gave them a small smile.

As this was happening, Mavis concentrated on her father, or -more specifically- what was in his cape. She had just gotten this power a couple years ago, which was surprising because most vampires didn't get it until they were adults (which was around 200 years old). It wasn't too powerful, only enough to make the wick of a candle start to give of smoke and a few small embers, _maybe_ light it for a few seconds if she was lucky. But maybe... She lifted her hand slightly.

"Thank you," Dracula said, "I'd like to start with a brief intro-" As soon as he reached into his cape, he felt a small source of heat. Taking out the cards, he saw that they were burning up like scraps of newspaper in a campfire. "-duction." In just a few seconds, the cards were nothing more than a small pile of ashes.

Looking behind him, Mavis and Johnny gave him an innocent look, with Johnny shrugging his shoulders. "Just go!" Mavis whispered.

Look back at the crowd, Dracula took a small breath. "I would like to introduce to you a friend of both myself and my daughter. In fact, he is a friend to many of the frequent guests who come to this hotel. I know there has been discussion about him and his kind, but I feel if you get to know him, just like I had to, you will maybe come to like him just as much as we do.

All three of us will answer any questions you have, and we hope you get all the information you need. Now, please welcome my friend, Jonathan." Only most of the monsters clapped at this, while some just sat there or glared.

When the count sat down, Mavis gave him a small smile. "Great job, Dad," she whispered. Johnny also gave him a thumbs up before he took his place at the microphone.

"Hi," Johnny said with a friendly smile. The monsters stared at him. Somewhere in the room a cricket chirped, although it was quickly silenced by a witch's pet toad. Johnny gave a small laugh. "So, uh, are there any questions you guys have?"

Immediately, dozens of monsters stood up, raising their hands and calling out, instantly reminding Johnny of press conferences he had seen on tv (or a classroom of students wanting volunteer to get something for the teacher just so they could get out of class.).

"Uh, okay," the redhead said, his amber eyes looking around the crowd, "Um, the red dude, one, two, three... six rows back!"

The monster stood up. He had red skin, a big jaw, horns and one big round eye, but he was also wearing a black and brown necktie and carrying a notebook, so it was obvious he was a reporter. "Mr. Human," said the monster, he had a very deep voice, "have you ever owned and/or used a torch, pitchfork or any other farming equipment that could be used as a weapon against monsters?"

"N- well..." Dracula's eyes widened, slightly worried now, "When I was a kid, I used a rake to rake up all the leaves in the backyard, but it was one of those really cheap, plastic ones, so it couldn't hurt anyone. Other than that, no, I haven't bought or used a torch or a pitchfork, and as far as I know, neither does anyone else in my family."

They could hear mumbling from the audience, but nothing that sounded negative. Both vampires and Johnny gave a small sigh of relief. "Okay, fly dude, right over there." Johnny had recognized him from before, he was the fly who helped Quasimodo bust him for being a human, but Johnny had nothing against him personally.

"I've heard that humans use fly swatters and bug spray," the fly said in his usual flat voice, "Any comments?" A question that couldn't be denied, and could possibly be used against him. The other monsters looked at Johnny curiously.

"Well, yeah, that's pretty true," Johnny said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But it's kinda in self-defense, at least for small little house flies. I guess we figured, since they only live a couple days and we couldn't really tell them to leave us alone, we either had to shoo them out through an open window or... yeah." He caught a couple glares from the crowd, but he wasn't done yet. "But, I would never hit you or any other bug monsters with a swatter or spraying you with anything. Like I said, that stuff was made for house flies and is used only in self defense."

The fly stared at him for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. "Okay." He sat down, and the other monsters gave him a look. "What? Normal flies do only live for a couple days, and they can't even communicate with us. As long as he doesn't swat or spray my family, I'd say let him stay here." Johnny smiled slightly at that. One more monster on their side.

More hands were raised, and Johnny called on a pink fish-monster. However, when she spoke, Johnny couldn't understand a word she was saying. "Uh, I'm sorry," Johnny said, "I couldn't really understand."

A woman with yellow skin, grey hair and a warty nose stood up. "She said, 'When you first arrived at the hotel and saw that it was a hotel for monsters, what was your reaction and did you ever have any thoughts or trying to destroy us?"

Johnny laughed a little. "To be honest, I thought you guys would try to eat me or something. I never thought about telling anyone or trying to hurt anyone or whatever. My only thought was pretty much 'Run'. I guess I kinda freaked out."

''Kinda' is an understatement,' Dracula thought, remembering when Johnny first found out they weren't just costumes. He didn't stop screaming for nearly five minutes!

"But then Drac," Dracula sat up a little, hearing his name, "Told me that no one was going to hurt me, at least, not yet. Once I knew that, I kinda wanted to meet the other monsters. I mean, when you grow up hearing stories about all these cool monsters and then finding out they were real, you just want to meet them all. So, that's what I did." He smiled. "And I ended up making a lot of awesome friends."

A few monsters in the crowd actually smiled at this. But a few still weren't sure, so the questions rolled on.

There were several more asking if Johnny ever thought about destroying them or something related to that. Any other person would have been frustrated by all the monotonous questions, but Johnny just smiled and answered them truthfully and in a friendly tone.

After a while, other types of questions were asked. Mavis and Johnny were both asked about their relationship, and they told the abridged version of how they met and 'zinged', which earned smiles and a few 'Awws' from the crowd. Johnny and Dracula also told about Johnny's adventures at the hotel, and how they eventually became friends.

Soon, questions were asked about the human world, about how it had changed and all the things monsters couldn't see from hiding on the edge of a forest or under a porch. Johnny happily told them about his world, and about monster celebrations like Halloween and movies and festivals and conventions. Within minutes, most of the audience were as hooked as a group of kids listening a fantasy story, fascinated and wanting more. The only monster who didn't look impressed, was the familiar brunette vampiress in the middle row.

'Why isn't she asking any questions?' Dracula wondered. He would have thought that Eve would be asking questions non-stop, determined to prove she was right. But she hadn't spoken a word. Even so, Dracula kept his eye on her, still half-listening to the Q&A.

Of course, Johnny couldn't sugar coat it. He did tell them that if monsters were to reveal themselves, there would be some people who wouldn't like them. "But, that shouldn't stop you from trying one day," Johnny told them, "Even some groups of humans are disliked by some people, but it doesn't stop other people from liking them. So many things have changed, and I think if you did decide to let humans know you all existed, you would have plenty of supporters, enough to outnumber any people who didn't like you. And I think it would be worth it too."

Johnny wouldn't push anything, especially knowing the history between humans and monsters, but it didn't hurt to give a little encouragement.

"Alright," Dracula said, walking up and standing next to Johnny, "But we have time for one more question."

While other monsters raised their hands, Eve stood up. As soon as the other monsters saw who was standing, they lowered their hands. They may have been reporters, but she was on the council. It was obvious who the final question should go to.

"Yes, Eve?" Dracula said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Jonathan," she said, her voice even and cool, "You told us that you promised to keep the identity of monsters a secret?"

"Um, yeah," Johnny said, a little confused.

"And you say that you are not planning to tell any humans, high ranking or otherwise?"

"Yeah," Johnny said again. Dracula and Mavis both narrowed their eyes. What was she leading up to?

"Well, I have something that would say otherwise," Eve indicated. Reaching into her cloak, she pulled out a shiny, silver rectangle. "This phone is full of photographs of Dracula's daughter, each one revealing that she is a vampire." The audience gasped and started talking to one another.

"So that's where my phone went!" Johnny said. Dracula gave him a look. "Oh, uh, I mean-!"

"I'm not finished," Eve said, her voice still calm but filled with venom, "I also learned that one picture was sent digitally to another human. So, it seems you've broken both your promises, Jonathan."

The monsters chattering turned to yelling and accusations. Like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar, Johnny just stood there, frozen and not really sure what he could say to get him out of trouble. Before Dracula could say anything to calm the crowd down, Mavis snatched the microphone.

"It was my idea!" That silenced them. "It was my idea," Mavis repeated, "Johnny and I want to be together, and we both realize that meant someday turning him into a vampire. We both understand that, and if it was Johnny's decision, he would already be one.

"But I didn't want his family to be in the dark, I wanted them to know what would eventually happen and to receive their blessing," the young vampire continued, "So, we were going to tell them a few days after I met them. And I told Johnny to send that picture, which was of a painting so they still think I'm a human and it's not something that can be used as evidence. And before anyone asks, it was sent to Johnny's little brother, not a reporter or the president or anyone like that."

Johnny finally found his voice, and he silently asked for the microphone, which Mavis gave to him, "Also, we weren't going to say anything about the hotel. We were just going to tell my folks about Mavis and Drac, everything else would -and still will be- a secret."

You would think this would be the end, but Eve was still interrogating them. "I understand how to young lovebats can get caught up in it all and believe a 'zing' can concur anything," the vampiress said, "but in reality, should we really be placing our safety in the hands of Dracula, his daughter who's barely passed 119, and a human? Should we really be revealing ourselves, even a small group of us, just because of a star-crossed romance?"

"Mavis and Jonathan are taking precautions, and I will help if anything goes wrong," Dracula said, grabbing the microphone from Johnny, "Which it won't. I know the risks, we all do, but I know we can trust my daughter and Jonathan's judgement. They may be young, but aren't blind and foolish just because they 'zinged'."

"So you say," Eve retorted, sharpening her eyes, "But what happens if something does go wrong, and the 'all mighty Undead King' can't stop it? What if more of us are murdered? What about that, Vlad Dracula?" Drac didn't know what to say. The monsters all looked at him in anticipation, pencils and notebooks ready.

It was at that moment that Johnny took back the microphone. He had an idea, and as much as it would hurt, it seemed like the only way. To make sure that the monster world -that the friends and families he met and grew to love, that Mavis and Dracula- would be safe.

"If worse comes to worse," Johnny started to say, "It will be my responsibility. I'll hide all the cell phones, unplug and hide the computers, everything. If it seems like my family wants to tell others and start a 21st century angry mob -which, I can't believe would happen, but Eve's right when she says you can't just act like it will never happen- it'll be my responsibility to stop them and make sure word doesn't get out.

"I'll tell Drac to come over, and he will hypnotize my family. He make all of us forget about vampires and the monster world... including me."

The other monsters looked shocked at this. "So you would forget about Mavis, about everything?" a skeleton asked.

The young man glanced over at Mavis. Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears. He swallowed, but when he spoke, his voice had never sounded more serious. "Yes, I would. Like I said, this place is so amazing, and I've met great monsters here and, and I don't want anyone getting hurt. If worse comes to worse, I'll forget."

Even Eve was quiet at this. Since it seemed like there was nothing left to say, Dracula took the microphone back. "Thank you for coming and for your questions," he said, "Goodnight, and please enjoy the snacks." With that, the curtains closed.

"Johnny." The redhead looked over at Mavis. Before either one could say anything, Mavis grabbed him and pulled him close. They stayed like that for nearly a minute.

"Hey, I think we gained a few more supporters," Johnny said, making Mavis giggle a little. She gave him a small smile.

"If this doesn't prove how much you care, nothing will," Mavis added. The two took each others hand, and walked off the stage. Dracula couldn't help but smile at the two.

They cared so much about each other. They were willing to protect one another, no matter the cost. 'Just like Martha and I.' He closed his eyes for just a moment, and then opened them again before walking off the stage himself.

Most of the monsters were leaving, but Eve still stood there. She watched the couple, walking off hand and hand and smiling at one another. For the first time since she saw Jonathan, she wasn't looking at him with cold eyes. "Eve?" Blinking, Eve turned towards the Count.

"What," she said, making it seem like more of a statement than a question.

"Nothing," Dracula replied, "though, I think Jonathan would like his phone back."

Eve said nothing, but took out the phone. However, before she returned it, Eve opened the picture app, highlighted all the pictures of Mavis, and pressed delete. "There." She placed the device in Dracula's hands.

"You do realize you have no evidence now," Dracula noted.

"Neither does he." The count scowled.

"Genevieve, what exactly will it take to convince you he's a good guy!" Dracula asked, feeling frustrated. Again, the vampiress was silent, and continued walking away. Sighing, Dracula headed towards one of the guards. "Make sure Jonathan gets this," he told him. The guard saluted and walked off, leaving Dracula alone, excluding the few reporters that were still sampling the snacks.

As for Eve, she no longer had her sights set on Dracula, or even the messy-haired human. She spotted the familiar face, and walked over to her. "Mavis."

Mavis looked up, and while surprised, remained calm. "Yes?" she asked.

"May I speak to you in private," Eve asked, "All this talk over the human and your father, I feel like I've barely been able to hear from you." Mavis was even more surprised at this. Why would Eve want to hear from her? "Would you care to talk, somewhere a little more quiet and less crowded perhaps?" Mavis could have sworn she saw just a hint of a smile.

She glanced at Johnny, and he gave her an encouraging smile. Mavis looked back at Eve and nodded. "Alright, follow me." Mavis lead her up the main stairs and to a small parlor on the second floor.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Mavis asked, sitting down in one of the huge red chairs. Eve sat down in the other.

"I know you must think of me as an enemy, but I assure you, I am only looking after my people," Eve stated.

"So are we," Mavis retorted, "We wouldn't be doing any of this if we thought it was dangerous. I thought you would understand that by now."

"But that's just it, Mavis," Eve replied, "You don't think it's dangerous. Our own minds and hearts can be fooled sometime." The way she was talking, it was so different than how she talked to Dracula or Jonathan. With them, she talked like a cunning businesswoman, a powerful adversary. Now, she sounded protective, and almost caring.

"Your father, I'm sure he told plenty of tales of humans and what they did," Eve continued, "But those were all rumors and stories from years ago, or his own silly ideas." Her face became serious now. "But I've actually seen humans. I've watched them for hundreds of years, every generation. And despite some changes like Jonathan said, they are still the same humans. They still hate, and kill, and destroy. Their weapons have advanced past simple pitch forks and torches and knives. They still attack the unknown without a second thought. You've only seen a fraction of the human world under a curtain of sunlight, I've seen it's true dark nature."

This sent slight shivers up her spine, but Mavis stayed strong. "Maybe that's how you see it, Eve," Mavis said, "But I see it a different way. I see humans as unique, and fun, and wonderful. Maybe there have been some humans as bad as you say, but that doesn't mean they're all that bad."

"Why do you insist on being difficult?" Eve asked, getting angry now, "You're just leading yourself and your kind into a whole mess of trouble and by the time you realize what you've done it'll be too late to take any of it back!"

"We told you," Mavis shot back, "We're not revealing anything about the hotel or any other monster. My dad and I are the only ones putting ourselves on the line, and if Johnny's family is as nice as he is, I doubt we're in any real danger!"

Eve clenched her teeth. "Why do you care so much about me anyway?" Mavis asked, "You don't even know me!"

The vampiress frowned, she almost looked hurt at the statement. But in an instant, she went back to looking at her with sharp, icy eyes. "Fine, have it your way." She stood up and walked over to the door, "But just remember, you may have changed the minds of a few monsters here tonight, but mine is still determined to shut this place down. After all, you're still on probation." With that, Eve walked out and shut the door.

Mavis sat in the chair, the conversation still ringing in her ears. She glared defiantly at the chair where the woman had sat just a few moments before. She had no right to judge any of them, and she was never going to shut them down just for trying to connect to worlds that were maybe destined to live together. Not if Mavis had anything to say about it.

After a few more minutes, Mavis finally lifted herself out of the chair and walked out the door. After all, she still had some packing to do.

That night, Mavis sent a text to Johnny and invited him up to her room. When he walked in, he saw several plates of food on the coffee table beside Mavis' bed, and his girlfriend smiling at him. "One last supper at the hotel?" she asked.

Johnny smiled back and happily sat down. "So, what did Eve-?"

"I don't want to talk about her right now," Mavis insisted, "Or the probation, or whether or not monsters will start to like humans and vice versa. I just want to eat a bunch of delicious food, hang out with my boyfriend, and think about what we're doing tomorrow. What we were going to do before all this stuff happened. What we've been doing for the past year in a half." She grinned. "Traveling around the world, and just rolling with it."

"Couldn't have said it any better myself," Johnny replied, "This time tomorrow, we'll be in Good Ol' Callie! By the way, Mom sent me a text -good thing Eve didn't delete or reply to any of them- and said that everyone's going to be able to make it home. Even Dad, but he'll be a little late. Anyway, hope you don't mind sharing a house with seven guys."

"I think I can handle it," Mavis replied. The two shared a kiss and continued chowing down on monster and human food, talking and laughing. Later, Johnny brought up his laptop and the two watched movies until they fell asleep on the floor; Johnny resting his head against Mavis' bed with a blanket draped over him, and Mavis with another blanket and using her boyfriend's lap as a pillow. Her dreams were filled with sunny California, new places and things to see, and a welcoming family.

As much as she loved seeing her home and her own family again, another adventure and perhaps more family was waiting for her, and it was all just a plane ride away.

**Yeah, decided to make the ending of this chapter a happy one. I imagine Johnny and Mavis do stuff like that (just eating a bunch food, watching movies and falling asleep on each other) all the time on their trips, and it was just a cute thought. Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'm glad I was able to update before the holidays. Please review, and happy holidays! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I hope you all had a nice holiday, and are going to have a happy new year. Anyway, hope you like the new chapter. I've been looking forward to writing this one for a while. Enjoy!**

Their plane didn't take off until 4 AM the next morning, so Johnny and Mavis were able to get a good day's rest. They were also able to enjoy a huge banquet that night. Not only was it for them, but it was for everyone else there, to keep their spirits up.

By midnight, things were winding down and by two o'clock, the couple was ready to go to the airport. All of the monsters came down to the lobby to wish them good luck, handing out goodbye hugs and telling the couple to be safe and have fun. Soon, there was only one monster to say goodbye to.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Dracula asked.

"Yep, I've got everything," Mavis said, holding up her hot pink suitcase, "Double checked before I zipped it up this morning."

"Good," Dracula said, "And when will you be arriving?"

"7 PM Pacific time," Mavis recited, "Johnny says by the time we get to his place, the sun should be completely down if it's not when we land." Dracula appreciated that Jonathan always made sure that their plane would always arrive at night or early in the morning.

"And, when are you going to tell his family?"

Mavis stayed silent for just a moment before giving her father a confident smile. "Well, I have to meet them first," she said jokingly, "but, I think we'll know when the time is right."

"Alright," he said with a small smile. Dracula was still a bit nervous, but things would never change if someone never takes the first step. He also knew how important this was for Mavis.

"I'll call as soon as we land," Mavis said before wrapping her arms around Dracula in a hug, which he didn't hesitate to return. "Love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Princess." The two smiled at each other before letting go.

"Hey guys!" Looking across the lobby over by Frank and Murray, they saw Johnny walking towards them, wearing his trusty backpack and ready to go.

"I was wondering when they would let you leave," Dracula joked.

"Better late than never," Johnny replied, "Oh, and Drac. Thanks, you know for letting me stay here and, well, for everything." The vampire smiled at the human.

"No thanks is needed," he said simply, and the two shared a smile.

"Well, I guess we better get going," Mavis said, grabbing the handle on her suitcase. The two waved goodbye as they walked out the door and into the open hearse, the zombies putting their bags in the back.

Airport security went by without any problems, and a couple hours later they were on the plane (all the shades on the windows closed since the airport was alerted about Mavis's 'skin condition') and ready to go.

"I haven't felt this excited since, well, the first time I rode in one of these," Mavis stated.

"Yeah," Johnny said, "I kinda feel the same way." Ever since he started travelling, he had only communicated with his family using letters and phone calls. Since there were so many places to see, and it would cost more to go to America and back rather than just travelling around Europe, it was easier to just stay. His parents and brothers understood this, and didn't complain or force him to come home.

But at the same time, there were times where Johnny really did miss his home. His house, his room, his family, everything. He was usually able to shake this feeling within a day or so, to say he wasn't excited to be visiting home would be a complete understatement.

'All roads lead to home I guess,' he mused with a small smile, 'even the ones thousands of miles away.'

The engines began to roll, and they both took one last look at the dark ground before the plane took off into the slowly brightening sky.

()()()()()()()

When the plane landed, it was around six thirty. Mavis still had to use her parasol, but it was mostly safe. In the parking lot, she could see roads leading different ways, but the one that most people used lead to a brightly lit city. From the horizon, she could see the glowing lights of LA. She was also easily able to see white letters that spelled out Hollywood, sitting on a hill like a welcome banner.

"So, what do you think" Johnny asked, smiling at the sight as well.

"Amazing," Mavis replied, excitement filling her voice. She longed to fly up and get a better view, but settled for standing there a few moments longer before going inside the airport to get their luggage.

Like most of their nighttime landings, the airport was bustling with tired travelers, anxious to grab their luggage and get to their hotel. Johnny and Mavis were probably the only ones who didn't try to rush.

"Are we taking a taxi to your house?" Mavis asked as they got their luggage.

"No, the taxis only go to the airport and back to LA," Johnny replied, turning his head as if he was looking for something, or someone. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall, redheaded man lazily holding up a homemade sign with the words 'Johnny and Mavis' on it. "But, we do have our own chauffeur," Johnny said with a grin, quickly pulling Mavis along.

"Well, about time you got here," the man said with a smile, "Nice to see you haven't changed too much."

"I could say the same thing," Johnny replied as the two gave each other a quick hug. Mavis quickly recognized the man as one of Johnny's brothers from the picture he showed her. If she remembered correctly, he was the oldest, and he definitely looked the part.

He had the same hair color as Johnny, but his face seemed a little more mature. While Johnny could maybe pass as a teenager, his brother looked more his age. He was also muscular, but at the same time looked friendly and not too intimidating. He was wearing a black tank top and an old pair of jeans.

"So, are you gonna introduce me?" the man asked.

"I was getting there," Johnny said. He turned to Mavis. "Mavis, this is my oldest brother, Matt. Matt, this is my awesome girlfriend, Mavis."

"Nice to meet you," Mavis greeted, giving him a small wave.

"Same here," Matt said, "So, you've been traveling with Johnny? Hope he hasn't caused too much trouble." Pouting a little, Johnny gave him a light shove, but Matt just laughed it off. Well, come on, Mom will kill me if I don't get you guys back in time for dinner. Follow me."

The three walked outside, the sun nearly set now. Sitting in the parking lot was an old blue car. It could easily sit a family of ten, and despite looking a little worn, it looked like a good car.

"You can put your stuff in the trunk," Matt said, opening it up for them. When Johnny put his backpack in, Matt looked surprised. "You still have that thing?"

"Hey," Johnny replied, "It's a good backpack."

"If you say so."

Matt took the driver's seat while Mavis and Johnny sat in the seats behind it. Getting on the road that pointed away from the big city, the bright lights soon faded, leaving only small lights on the highway to guide the way.

As Johnny and Matt reconnected, Mavis watched the road and flat pieces of land to pass her by. She smiled to herself. 'I bet the pups would love a place like this,' she thought, 'lots of open space, and plenty of room to run and cause all sorts of mischief.' She giggled. 'And Wayne would hate it because he would never be able to find them all. Plus, no dark places to hide in.'

"So, have you ever been to the states, Mavis?" Matt asked, getting her attention.

"Well, only Hiwe- er, Hawaii," Mavis replied, quickly correcting herself, "and that was only for a couple weeks. But I loved every minute of it." As she said this, she looked at Johnny, who smiled at her.

It was their first big trip, and one they would never forget. "We were thinking of maybe stopping by New York in a few months," Johnny added, "But there's still a lot in Europe left to see."

"Oh, and don't forget places like Japan and China, I've heard those places are incredible!" Some of the monsters from those places had even visited the hotel, but she left out that part.

"I haven't been to Asia yet," Johnny said, "But it's definitely next on the list."

Matt watched the two, either glancing over his shoulder or using the rear-view mirror (Although Mavis must have been out of the way enough since he never saw her in the mirror). The way they practically finished each other's sentences, how they were so excited about traveling and experiencing new things, not just for themselves, but together. The way their eyes practically lit up just by looking at one another.

He smirked. It looked like his little brother had found someone truly special. 'Way to go, bro', he thought as he turned onto an exit.

Buildings began to appear again, at first only a few like a gas station or a house, and then whole streets of them. A sign let them know that they had arrived:

Welcome to Glen Ellen.

Shops and restaurants were there, but there was also a lot of space and grassy areas. Johnny wasn't exaggerating when he said it was a small town, compared to some of the cities in Europe, it was downright puny. But, there was also a certain charm about it. Like a village, just more modern.

Soon Matt turned onto another street, which was just one long row of houses. It took another few minutes before the blue car pulled into a gravel covered driveway, leading up a medium sized house.

"Home sweet home."

Mavis got out of the car. The air was filled with the sound of cicadas and the tiny lights of fireflies. It was warm, but not muggy, plus there was a slight breeze. Looking up at the house, it was painted brown and had two floors, with several windows that helped light up the front of the house. She could hear voices coming from inside, laughing and talking. It made her smile.

"I know it's kinda small compared to the hotel," Johnny said, rubbing his neck.

"I think it's great," Mavis stated, looking at her boyfriend, "But, I'd like to see what the inside looks like." With that, they happily took each other's hand and walked forward.

But before they could get too far, a small black figure walked out in front of them. It looked up with glowing yellow eyes, that were bright yet uninterested. "Mrow," it said, not sounding too friendly.

"Hey, we still have Mojo?" Johnny said.

"Yep," Matt replied as he locked the car, "still as grouchy as ever." Johnny bent down and held out his hand.

"Hey Mojo, how you been?" The cat growled, and turned away, more interested in licking his paw than saying hello. "Nice to see you too," Johnny said, still happy to see him.

Mavis couldn't help but be a little nervous. According to old stories, pets like cats and dogs or farm animals would react when a monster was near, and tip off any monster-hunting humans. Mavis never really believed it, but if it was true, Mojo could maybe reveal her secret to the family before she was ready to tell them.

Staying calm, Mavis walked alongside the two brothers as they went up to the front door. When she got closer, the cat looked up at her. Mavis froze, and waited for the cat to start growling or hissing.

She waited one second, two, three-

"Meow." The cat lazily walked up to Mavis and laid down in front of her. A bit surprised, Mavis bent down and petted him. There was no growling or hissing, he even purred a little!

"So he can purr," Matt commented, "That's a shocker." He continued walking. "Come on, Mojo will probably follow us in." Giving the cat one last pet, Mavis stood up and the three walked inside.

They entered into a hallway that led to the living room, the kitchen and another hallway. The walls were painted a golden yellow, and the floor was a dark brown carpet. "Hey, this place hasn't changed a bit," Johnny commented happily.

"Bro, is that you?" asked a voice from the living room.

Following her boyfriend, Mavis saw four more brothers sitting in the living room. On light brown couch was a blonde man who was wearing a blue tee shirt and dark blue shorts. He got up and quickly greeted them. His face was friendly, and his skin was tan, so it was easy to figure out that he spent most of the time outdoors. "Glad to see you finally came to visit," he said.

"Says the guy who's gone most of the day," Matt commented.

"I can't help it if there's tons of stuff to do during the day," the blonde said in his defense.

"Mavis, this is Alvin," Johnny said, "Alvin, my girlfriend Mavis." Alvin gave a friendly wave, and Mavis waved back.

"Hey guys, come say hi," Matt said. The second boy who was sitting on the couch (a teenager with curly red hair) and the boy who was sitting in the chair reading (about the same age as Johnny, with dark brown hair and glasses) both stood up. The remaining brother, a boy that was around the same age as the other brothers with light brownish-red hair and who was playing a video game, stayed sitting.

"James," said Matt, "Get up, dude."

"I'll say hi after I kill this thing," James replied, wildly pressing buttons and leaning towards the screen.

"Since that won't be for a while, I'll just introduce him," said the brunette, "that's James, Johnny's twin if you can believe it. I'm David-" he pointed to the teenager "and this is Jake."

"Nice to meet you guys," Mavis said with a friendly smile, "I'm Mavis."

"Are you goth?" Jake asked. Matt and David gave him a look. "What, it's cool if she is, I'm just curious."

"Um, no?" Mavis replied, not really sure what 'goth' meant.

"Yes! Freaking finally!" A digital explosion appeared on the tv screen, followed by the words 'Boss Defeated'. "Took long enough." With his virtual enemy defeated, James stood up and held out his hand. "Forget what Davy told you, just call me Jim."

"Okay, Jim," Mavis smiled, shaking his hand. All of Johnny's brothers seemed different from each other, but in a way, seemed like they were connected.

"So, are you gonna tell us about all your trips?" Alvin asked his younger brother.

"Yeah, you've been gone for nearly three years so I figured at least one exciting thing happened," David added.

"For your information, a lot of exciting and cool stuff happened," Johnny retorted. 'Does discovering a hotel for monsters count as exciting?' he mentally added.

"Well, before you start sharing stories," Matt interrupted, "You may want to go find Mom. I think she went upstairs for something, but she should be down soon."

"Okay," Johnny said. He turned to Mavis. "Ready to go meet her face-to-face?"

"Yep," Mavis replied, feeling completely confident. His family had already given her such warm welcome, she didn't really have a reason to worry. Following Johnny into the kitchen, she couldn't help but compare it to the kitchen at the hotel.

Not that their kitchen was small or shabby. It was very nice and cozy, and the room was filled with delicious smells that could even warm the abominable snowman. But that's what made it so different from the hotel's kitchen.

It was well lit whether than just getting light from a small fire. The oven was square and shiny instead of coal black and pot-bellied. There were no pots and pans hanging from rusty chains, and a lot of the spices Mavis was use to seeing were gone. No huge butcher knives or miniature guillotines use to cut meat and veggies. And everything was so clean and inviting! It definitely didn't give off the 'creepy dungeon' vibe that Quasimodo's kitchen had. This was also the first time she had seen a kitchen and a dining room combined into just one room, with the table and chairs in the middle and all the kitchen things by the walls.

Like a lot of human things she had seen, it was different but Mavis liked it.

"Johnny!" Turning around, Mavis could see a tall woman in the doorway, looking like she was ready to burst with happiness.

"Mom!" Johnny quickly greeted her with a hug. "Hey, how are you?"

"Fine," she replied, "it's about time you visited."

"That's what everyone's been telling me. It's nice to see you again, Mom."

"Same here, sweetie." The two let go and smiled at each other. They shared the same color of eyes, and Johnny was only a couple inches shorter than his mother. She had long, curly red hair that was tied with a black scrunchy, and was wearing a red tee shirt and dark blue pants.

Looking up, she smiled at Mavis. "And it's nice to finally meet you in person," she said, walking over to the girl, "You remember me, right?"

"Of course, Ma'am," Mavis replied.

"Oh don't call me that, it makes me feel like an old lady," she replied, "Remember, Madison."

"Right," Mavis said. 'Definitely a lot like Auntie Eunice'.

"Well, I suppose you two are tired from the plane ride," Madison said, "I still can't believe they couldn't give you a better time. Oh well, dinner will be done in a few minutes, until then you can relax in the living room, or at least try to. By the way, Johnny, I'm making your favorite."

"Really?" Johnny said, "Aw, you are like the best!" He turned to Mavis. "She's making her homemade chicken, and for dessert chocolate cake." He turned back to his mother. "You are making chocolate cake right?"

"What do you think?" Madison answered. Johnny grinned and Mavis giggled.

With all the welcomes out of the way, the two went back to the living room. Jim invited Johnny to play a round of some fighting game while Mavis either watched or talked with one of Johnny's brothers. They all seemed nice, and Jake and Alvin seemed like the ones who talked the most. Matt, David and Jim would comment every once in a while, but they mostly did their own thing (Matt watching the game, Jim playing and David reading his book), but that didn't mean they weren't friendly.

As for Johnny, he was happy to see his brothers again. They might have been a few years older, but they were still all a wild bunch of kids, teasing and joking around with each other.

"Matt, Alvin," Madison called from the kitchen, "Come help me set the table- and get this cat off of it. Go on, scat!" "Mrow." Everyone laughed, and the two brothers got up.

"I'll go help too," she told Johnny before getting up and going to the next room. Matt took care of the glasses, Alvin had the silverware, Mavis placed the plates and Madison started setting the mouth-watering food in the middle of the table.

As Mavis continued putting the plates on the table, she bumped one and nearly dropped it on the floor. But in a flash she grabbed it. 'Phew,' she thought.

"Wow." The vampire looked up. "Nice reflexes," Alvin commented.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Mavis replied, glad that he didn't think of it as anything more than that.

Once the table was set and the dishes were placed, everyone was called out to the table. Mavis of course sat down next to Johnny, while his brothers and Madison sat down around him. But when everyone was sitting, Mavis noticed two empty chairs.

"Freddie, I said dinner!" Madison called again. They heard footsteps from the second floor, and then from down the hall. "Coming," said a small voice.

A small boy, looking about nine years old, walked into the kitchen. He had red hair like his mother and two of his brothers, but it was flat and neatly combed. "Hi there," Mavis said cheerfully.

Freddie looked at her, surprised. "Um, Hi," he replied.

"Hey Freddie, I was wondering when I'd get to see you," Johnny said. Freddie smiled a little at his brother and then got into his seat.

"Alright," said Madison, now that all her sons were present, "Dig in!"

Several arms reached for the middle of the table, grabbing prime pieces of chicken and spooning side dishes onto her plate. It caught Mavis a little offguard, especially since she was used to the food either already being plated and brought to her or heated up in a hotel room microwave.

But she was also a hunter, and in a flash, she was able to get her own food before it was all taken. As for the taste...

'Wow! No wonder it's Johnny's favorite!' Mavis thought as she ate another piece off the chicken leg. She had ate chicken before at restaurants, but she mostly stuck to red meat like beef or (when she was hunting with her dad) small animals and scorpions. But this, she had a feeling one bite of it would make her father want to hire her as the hotel's new chef.

The food vanished almost as quickly as it was placed, filling everyone's stomachs and earning positive complements. Of course, as with every family meal, there was conversation, and questions.

"So Mavis, you met Johnny in Romania?" Madison asked.

"Yep," Johnny replied happily.

"He stayed at my house for a few days, and then my dad decided to let me travel with him," Mavis added, "it was a dream come true actually."

"What does your father do?" she asked. Mavis was prepared for this question.

"He just, runs a small inn," the vampire replied. Well, it was the half truth.

"And your mother?" Mavis' smile faltered, but she was prepared for this question too.

"Actually, my mother passed away when I was little," she answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Madison said apologetically.

"It's alright, she's still here in a way," Mavis replied with a smile, thinking of the homemade book in her backpack, and how it had ultimately helped in the end.

Deciding to lighten up the conversation, questions were asked about their travels, which Johnny and Mavis happily answered. There were comments and jokes between the seven brothers, all taken with good humor and Mavis just laughed along with them. By the time it was time to bring out the dessert, Mavis felt like she was apart of the family. Of course there was still one more thing she would have to eventually do, but for now, she was going to enjoy the moment.

*Knock knock*

"Of course," Madison huffed, "always in the middle of dinner."

"I'll get it, Mom," Johnny offered. Probably just a neighbor or something. The redhead got up from the table and walked to the front door. Opening it, he saw a tall man wearing an old grey tee shirt and blue jeans. He had messy blonde hair, and bright, friendly brown eyes. Behind him, was a semi truck parked in front of their house.

"Hope I didn't miss too much, John," he said, his voice having a slight Californian accent.

Johnny grinned. "Dad!"

**Bit of a cliffhanger there, but hopefully it won't take long for the next chapter. **

**Anyway, sorry that it was a bit short compared to the past two chapters. Also, since it was mostly introductions, so I hope it wasn't too boring. Also, I have never been to California (though I do live in a small town so I know the feel of that), so if any of my readers live in California and it doesn't feel like I'm doing a good job of writing it, I'm sorry. **

**Anyway, have a happy new year, and I'll see you next time! **


	11. Chapter 11

**So yeah, two people pointed out the mistake I made in the last chapter. I feel stupid for not noticing it, especially when I made sure to follow the 'no reflection' rule for the past 9 chapters (guess I was concentrating too much on writing a cute scene). But anyway, what's done is done, and I went back and fixed it. Thanks to Moviefan-92 and Bookworm Gal (who is also a frequent reviewer) for pointing it out, as embarrassed as I am, I really do appreciate it. Constructive criticism and correctors (whether it's about a monster fact or about the characters themselves) is always welcome :)**

Anyway, onto the new chapter!

"Dad!" they heard Johnny say from down the hall. Mavis sat up a bit straighter. Johnny's father?

"I knew he would make it," James said smugly, "pay up, David."

The brunette scowled. "For the record, I never said he wouldn't make it home," David said in his defense, "I just said he probably wouldn't make it home before midnight."

Johnny ran back into the kitchen, followed by a man only about a foot taller than him. "Hey boys," said the man, making all of his sons smile. He glanced over at his wife and grinned. "And Madi."

"About time you got home," Madison said curtly, not too impressed.

"I know, I know," Johnny's father replied, "But I did get a week off, so does that help?" He gave her a flash of innocent puppy dog eyes, and Mavis had to hold back a giggle. That was a move Johnny had used a couple times on her. 'So that's where he got it from'. In fact, despite the hair color, the man looked like a more grown up version of Johnny. They both were tall and had skinny bodies, as well as bright brown eyes.

"Well, I suppose," Madison said with a slight smirk, "It is still dinner after all, that is if you don't mind leftovers."

"As long as it's your cooking, I don't mind," the man replied.

"Hey Dad," Johnny said, getting his attention, "before you start eating, I wanna introduce you to someone." Mavis took this as her cue and stood up. "Dad, this is my girlfriend, Mavis. Mavis, this is my dad."

"It's nice to meet you, Sir," Mavis said with a slight nod of her head.

"Call me Quincy," Johnny's father greeted, "and it's nice to meet you too, young lady." Mavis smiled a little bigger.

While Quincy heated up his dinner, Madison served the cake, which easily rivaled some of Quasimodo's best birthday cakes. Conversation continued, now with new stories and comments thanks to Quincy. Once dessert was finished, Johnny and Mavis went out to the backyard, followed by Johnny's brothers. The backyard was a pretty good size, plenty of room to run around or relax, with a big tree to give them shade when the sun was up or a good place to climb.

"Wow, I never knew how soft grass was," Mavis commented, petting the grass as if it were an animal, "most of the grass is outside hotel boundaries in the forest, and even that doesn't look too soft." She have a contented sigh.

"So, what do you think of my old man?" Johnny asked.

"He really is a lot like you," Mavis replied, "and he's just as nice as your mom."

Johnny smiled. "See, I told you they would like you."

"Yeah, I know," the vampire replied as she laid down in the grass. Her boyfriend joined her, and together they watched the stars and fireflies pass over them while listening to Johnny's brothers laugh and talk to one another.

"Do you, really think they'll still like me once they find out?" Mavis said quietly. Johnny turned to look at her.

"Mavis-"

"I know, it will most likely never happen because frankly, your parents are two of the best I've ever met," Mavis said quickly, "but it's just, I don't know, I can't help but worry."

"Well, you are Dracula's daughter," Johnny joked, earning him a shove. Laughing it off, he smiled at his girlfriend. "I know I can't tell you not to worry, because really, if I were in your shoes, I would probably be worried too. But like I said, no matter what happens, things will be okay. I know they will."

"And if they're not?"

"Then we'll just roll with it until they are," Johnny replied. Mavis looked at him, and smiled. He always knew what to say. They both leaned in for a kiss, the waving grass tickling their cheeks.

"Hey, no making out in the backyard!" they heard James yell at them.

Johnny sat up as Mavis laughed. "You can't tell us what to do!" he replied, trying to sound angry.

Before his twin could reply, Alvin came out of the shed carrying an old tire with a piece of rope attached to it. "Told you dudes I could find it!"

"Awesome!" Jake said, running up to his brother, "I call first!"

"What's that?" Mavis asked.

"That, is a tire swing," Johnny answered, "to most, just an old tire and some rope. But to seven bored kids, the key to plenty of fun summer days... and a couple trips to the emergency room."

As soon as Matt attached the swing, Jake jumped on. If there were any objections, the fifteen year old didn't listen to them. He whooped and hollered as he swung up and down, sometimes spinning at the same time.

After a few minutes, Matt made Jake slow down and get off the swing. "Freddie, why don't you go next?"

The ten year old smiled slightly, and walked over to the swing. While he couldn't get it to go as fast or as high as Jake, Freddie was still able to have fun on the swing, grinning and even laughing a few times.

'He's so cute,' Mavis thought. She was already thinking of him as a little brother. 'I just wish he would talk to me a little.' Maybe he's like Winnie, she doesn't talk much either'. Whatever the reason, Mavis wasn't going to push him into talking.

As soon as the swing was at a complete stop, Freddie hopped off. "That was really cool," Mavis complemented. Freddie frowned and shyly looked away.

"Thanks," he mumbled before walking over to where his brothers were standing and waiting for their turn.

"Woo hoooo!" Johnny yelled in between laughs when it was his turn. Even though he had rode planes and climbed mountains, there was still something about swinging on the old tire swing that gave him such a thrill.

As the swing rose up, Johnny's grip slipped. "Whoa, whoa!" His body flew backwards with the momentum of the swing, but luckily his foot caught the inside of the tire and kept him from landing flat on his face. "I'm good!" Johnny said with an upside down thumbs up as he hung upside down as Mavis laughed and his brothers cheered. Alvin gave him a high five as he passed by.

"Okay monkey, get down before you kill yourself," David said as he and Matt slowed the swing down and helped Johnny get back on his feet.

"Mavis goes next!" Johnny said. He stumbled a little, still slightly dizzy, and pulled his girlfriend over to the swing.

"Okay, so I just put my feet here," Mavis said, stepping up and putting her feet on the inside of the tire.

"Yeah, and then just grab the rope and hang on," Johnny said, letting go of Mavis' hand so she could grab the rope, "Once you've got a good grip, start pushing yourself."

"Okay..." Mavis pursed her lips in concentration as she began swaying her body back and forth, slowly moving the swing. Once she started getting some momentum, Mavis started getting higher and faster.

"Yeah, you got it!" Johnny cheered, "Good job, May!"

"Woo!" Mavis shouted as she started spinning, "This is great!" She then noticed how close she was to the base of the tree. 'I wonder...'. Taking one of her feet off the tire, she pressed it against the tree and kicked off.

The swing flew up towards the sky. Only a few more inches and she could have gone all the way over the branch. Mavis grinned as the wind blew past her hair. If she wasn't in a human neighborhood, she would've let go and let the force of the swing throw her up. Like a few hours ago, she longed to spread her wings. But, now wasn't exactly the best time. So, she held on, making her knuckles turn even whiter. She held on until the swing slowed down enough for her to jump off.

"That was amazing!" she grinned, "Guys, did you see-" She then noticed that all six brothers had eyes the size of full moons. "that?"

They were all silent, until Jake shouted "Dude, Johnny, your girlfriend is awesome!"

"Are you, like, okay?" James asked, "I've never seen anyone go that high."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mavis replied, rubbing her arm, "I guess I, just don't know my own strength."

"You must play a lot of soccer or something," Alvin commented.

"Yeah, sure." The vampire walked over to Johnny while another brother stepped up for their turn. She sighed silently. Probably not the smartest decision of the night.

She noticed Johnny lean over. "Seriously though," he said quietly, "That was awesome," and Mavis' smile returned.

After about more fifteen minutes, everyone had gotten a ride on the tire swing and it was ready to go inside. "Time to show you the rest of the house," Johnny said, leading her up stairs.

There was one main hallway up there, with four separate rooms and a bathroom in between two of them. "The room at the end of the hall is my parents', then next to their's is Freddie's and Jake's. Jim still lives at home, but there's a second bed in there for guests. And then the last room is another guest room, which is probably where Matt and Al will sleep tonight since it's too late to drive to their apartment."

"So then, where's your room?" Mavis asked.

"The coolest place you can have a room." The redhead walked to the middle of the hallway, and grabbed the small string that was hanging from the ceiling. With one pull, a door opened and a ladder unfolded in front of them.

"The attic?" Mavis observed. Johnny let her go up the ladder first, and she had to say it was much different than what she was expecting.

Sure there were a few boxes, but there was also a bed and a couch (which Johnny pointed out could fold out into a bed), as well as a small tv and an old Super NES system. A small window in the back let the light from the full moon shine in, and a small lamp lit up the rest of the room. There were posters of different bands and places taped to the wall, and Johnny must have taken their luggage upstairs since both their bags were resting by the bed.

"It's a little dusty," Johnny said, "But my room's the only one that's stayed the same, probably because it can be used as a hangout."

"This is a cool room," Mavis commented, "but why is yours in the attic?"

"Well, when Mom was getting ready to have Jake, she told us we would either have to move to a bigger place or one of us would have to take the attic. None of us wanted to leave, so we took the attic. Actually, Matt was going to get it since he was the oldest, but I said that I wanted it and he let me have it."

As the two walked into the room to get a better look, a small creature swung down in front of him. Johnny let up a small shriek and backed up, panicking for a moment before noticing it was just a smile.

Johnny pouted as Mavis gave him an amused smile. "You'd think I'd be used to spiders by now," he said, "especially since the hotel was full of them."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," she said. Maybe a little embarrassing, but not by too much. Taking a step forward, Mavis let the spider land softly on her hand. She looked at it for a few seconds, and then it crawled back up it's thin string of web.

"Can you communicate with them too?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah." "Well, what did you say?"

She smirked. "I asked him if he could lay off the sneak attacks, and he said 'no problem'."

Johnny gave a sheepish smile. " 'Preciate it."

()()()()()()()

"Alright boys, bedtime! You've got school tomorrow!" Madison called out, "And just because I don't say names doesn't mean I'm not talking to you, Jake."

With that, the redhead sat down on the couch and turned on the tv, pulling the scrunchy out of her hair and letting it fall onto the back of the couch.

Her husband had went upstairs to go to bed. A hot meal and a day of driving on the highway did not make for a wide awake husband, though she knew that he would be wide awake tomorrow, and she could only imagine what he had planned for the two of them. Instead of sleeping in or sitting in front of tv like a person usually would on their day off, he would always plan 'interesting' things to do with Madison or their family.

She laughed to herself. 'I'll think that I won't be surprised by him anymore, but he'll find a way.'

But as for right now, she was going to relax in front of the tv, watching a few of the shows the dvr had recorded the day before. As the theme song played, she heard the stairs creek slightly. One of the advantages of an old house, but a disadvantage to the children who lived in it.

Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. "Hello Mavis," she greeted.

"Hi," Mavis replied. She was dressed in a red tee shirt and black, grey and red plaid pajama pants with her striped stockings still on.

"Care to join me?" Madison asked, "I'm not sure what kind of tv they have in Romania, but American tv isn't that bad."

"Thanks, but I just came down to get a glass of water," Mavis replied. She glanced at the tv -it looked like some talk show- before walking into the kitchen. She was only in there for a minute or so before she walked back.

"Is there any time you want Johnny and I to go to bed?" Mavis asked.

"Oh no, dear," Madison replied, "You can stay up as late as you want, though if you're anything like Johnny is with jet lag, you won't be up too late. As long as you don't do anything to wake Jake and Freddie or tempt them with anything that would make it hard to want to go to sleep, you and the other boys are fine."

"Okay, thank you," Mavis said with a polite smile.

"One more thing," Madison said, turning slightly to look at the secret vampire, "I usually make eggs and bacon for breakfast, and there's boxes of cereal in the cupboard, but do you have any requests."

"Oh, no I'm good!" Mavis replied. Truth was, she would be lucky if she woke up before lunch. The only reason why she was even going to attempt to go to bed this early was the jet lag. She knew her sleep habits would be a slight problem, but vampires didn't need much sleep. They were fast healers, so of course they were fast sleepers, able to get plenty of rest within only a few hours if they needed to. But then again, she was a teenage vampire.

'I'll just have to try and get as much sleep as I can tonight and tomorrow morning,' she thought to herself, 'I have to at least be up part of the day.'

"Alright, goodnight," Madison said before turning back to the tv.

"Goodnight." With that, Mavis walked back upstairs and up the ladder. As soon as she entered the attic, the only noise she heard was snoring.

The two were planning on staying up a little longer, but it looked like Johnny fell asleep while waiting for her to get a drink.

"Oh well," Mavis said to herself, not feeling too upset. She couldn't really blame him, and she needed to get to bed soon too. After giving her boyfriend a light kiss on the cheek, she went back down the later and towards the bathroom. Looking down the hall, she could see a faint light coming from both rooms, as well as the soft noise of a tv.

A few minutes later, Mavis came out of the bathroom, quietly shut the door, and retreated back to the attic. 'If Jake and Freddie have school, I wonder what the rest of Johnny's brothers do during the day,' she thought. Mavis assumed they had jobs, she just didn't know what. What if they had the day off like Quincy? Would they invite her and Johnny to go somewhere? 'I could bring my parasol, that wouldn't be too weird, right-?'

"Oof!" Whoa!" While lost in her thoughts, Mavis ran into someone and nearly knocked them over. Looking down, she saw a familiar head of short, neat red hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry Freddie," Mavis apologized. She held out her hand to help, but the boy got up himself without accepting any help. "It's okay," he said quietly.

The two stood there in the middle of the barely lit hallway, Mavis feeling a little awkward. "Well, I guess I'll go to bed now." She stepped around the boy and was about to start climbing the ladder when a voice called out to her.

"Mavis," said Freddie in a small voice that only a child could have, "You aren't going to hurt Johnny, are you?"

The girl stepped off the ladder and turned to look at him. "Of course not," Mavis replied, a little surprised, "Why would you-?" Then it hit her. At ten years old, Freddie was the youngest. He had witnessed all his brothers as teenagers, and she was sure he had seen a few of his brothers get their hearts broken or he had at least seen it on a tv show.

Mavis bent down to his level, something she sometimes did when one of her werepup 'cousins' asked her a question. "I promise that I won't ever hurt your big brother," she said, looking him right in the eye, "I love Johnny. He's my zi-" She stopped herself before she said a word that was probably unknown to the human boy. "He's really special to me. So you don't have to worry, okay?"

Freddie looked at the floor, but gave a slight nod. "Good," Mavis smiled. She started to climb up the ladder again, and just before she folded it back up and closed the nearly hidden door, she wished Freddie a goodnight.

"Goodnight," he said quietly. Standing in the hall all alone, he walked back to his own room.

Glow-in-the-dark stars looked down on him from the ceiling. On Jake's side of the room (which was easily the messiest) there were plenty of action figures that were from a couple years ago and not yet deemed 'lame'. A backpack and his school work were in a messy pile. His skateboard rested against his bed, and sitting on top of and in his dresser was a vast assortment of pranks to play on his family and friends, some he had bought from dollar stores and magazines, and others he had traded with his friends to get.

On Freddie's side of the room, most of the toys were in the closet. However there were a few action figures and stuffed animals. There were a few posters, and bookshelf filled with hand-me-downs as well as new ones bought just for him.

As Jake snored slightly, just now falling asleep after about ten minutes of trying, Freddie walked towards his bookshelf as quiet as a mouse. He picked out a book, and then crawled under the cold blankets.

Fishing a small metal object out from under his pillow, Johnny placed the book on his lap. He turned on the object, his small flashlight, to see. The light was small enough so that it wouldn't wake up his brother, but it was still bright enough to help him read.

The plastic cover shone off the light. This was a book James and Johnny had gotten years ago, back when they first went trick-or-treating (that's not to say they still didn't enjoy going) and they wanted to find the perfect costume. Freddie silently read the letters on the cover:

'The Big Book of Monsters - For kids and Monster lovers alike!'

Freddie turned to the page he was looking for, and as he did, he thought back to what he had seen today.

When Johnny's girlfriend had pressed against the tree, not only had she flown up high, but the branch had cracked and splintered (Freddie hoped it wouldn't fall during one of their turns), only slightly. But it was enough for Freddie to notice. No girl was that strong, even if she did play a lot of sports.

Another thing he had seen was something everyone else failed to notice. Whenever Mavis walked in front of a window, not once did he ever see a reflection.

Strength. No reflection. She wasn't afraid of heights, unlike most of the girls in his class. All of this made Freddie think, could she possibly be-?

"A vampire," Freddie whispered, reading the title of the chapter.

As the boy read, he couldn't help but notice a pair of eyes watching him from outside. Looking closer, he could see that it was a dark colored, great horned owl. It was looking straight at him.

When it became apparent that the bird wasn't going to at leave, or at least stop staring at him with those big yellow eyes, Freddie closed the dark blue curtains and went back to reading his book, where the owl became nothing more than a memory.


	12. Chapter 12

While Johnny was careful to close the curtains so Mavis wouldn't get burned, she could still faintly see how bright it was outside when she woke up. 'What time is it?' she asked herself, slowly sitting up. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the bed was empty, so Johnny was probably downstairs.

She moved the curtains back, just a tiny bit. Her skin became a bit tender, but it didn't burn. Even so, she only had a few moments to take in the view. And what a view it was. It was a perfect sunny day, and while most monsters wouldn't have liked it, Mavis thought it was gorgeous. She spotted the tree in the backyard, only now she could see a few brown leaves sprinkled in. She could only imagine how beautiful the trees would look when they gained their autumn colors. Back at the hotel, she couldn't appreciate the site, because it was always too dark to really appreciate the leaves changing, and most of the leaves would fall during the day anyway.

After looking outside a few seconds more, Mavis shut the curtains and walked over to her suitcase. 'Better late than never', she thought, getting out an outfit - a red tanktop with a black skirt and a black belt with white stripes. Before she left the attic, she did take her blood supplements for the day. Even if she was eating plenty of food, she was still a vampire and it was the supplements that would give her the most amount of energy and stamina.

Climbing down the ladder, Mavis quickly figured out that she was the only one still upstairs. It was like whenever the hotel had little to no guests, she could almost sense the emptiness. But she wasn't the only one in the house, because she heard talking and the sound of a television show from downstairs. She got dressed, brushed her fangs, and then went downstairs to see who was home.

Looking into the living room, she could see Madison sitting on the couch, already dressed for the day and watching a different show than before. James was also there, but he was playing a portable game, not caring about the show.

"Good morning," Mavis greeted. Madison smirked.

"Don't you mean, 'Good Afternoon'?" the woman asked. Mavis glanced at the digital clock under the tv, and saw that it was nearly one in the afternoon.

'I didn't know it was that late!' Mavis thought, at least it was late to humans. To her, it was like waking up in the middle of the night. "I'm sorry," Mavis tried to apologize, but Madison just waved it off.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "I sleep in just as late on my vacations." Mavis smiled.

"In case your wondering," James added, "your boyfriend's eating lunch in the kitchen, help yourself to whatever." Mavis nodded, and walked to the next room. Just like his twin had said, Johnny was sitting at the kitchen table, eating what looked like a ham sandwich and playing on his laptop. With a sneaky smile, the vampiress quietly walked up behind him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Johnny flinched, but once he realized who it was, he smiled.

"Hey, glad you're awake!" Johnny greeted.

"Yeah, only about six hours late," Mavis replied as she sat down.

"Did you at least sleep good?"

"Yeah, pretty good." Before she could say anymore, Mavis felt something small nudge her leg. Looking down, she saw a familiar black, fluffy creature. "Hey there, Mojo," she smiled.

"Mrow." Mavis stroked his back a few times, and he jumped up on her lap. As she continued stroking, Mojo began purring loudly, though it sounded more like a concrete mixer than a cute purring.

"He sure does like you," Johnny commented, stretching over and scratching the cat behind his ears.

"So, where's everyone else?" Mavis asked, curious.

"Dad and Alvin are out running errands around town," Johnny answered, "David's at work (he works at the local library) and Jake and Freddie are at school, but they should all be home in a few hours, which is probably a good thing." He said that last part with a sort of playful smirk.

Mavis raised her eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"No big reason," Johnny said with a shrug, "just a little 'outing' my brothers and I are planning tonight."

"An outing?" "Yep." Mavis chuckled a little. "Does this 'outing' have anything to do with what you were just doing on the computer?"

"Just a little research," the redhead replied, giving as little information as possible on purpose.

"And you're not going to tell me?" "It would ruin the surprise."

Mavis gave a fake pout. Johnny usually did things like this on their trips. He would surprise her with going to a special place, whether it was a glorious landmark or a show or something equally as wonderful. Of course, he would try to keep it as secret as possible, giving a few hints throughout the day. It was just a way to keep things light-hearted and interesting. It was a good thing Dracula never went on any trips with them, all the surprises and secrets would've driven the vampire crazy, even if they did lead up to something truly amazing.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me," Mavis said, gently setting Mojo on the floor, "I might as well get something to eat while I wait. Any recommendations?"

"Maybe, meat selections by Oscar Mayer?" Johnny replied, holding up his half eaten sandwich.

Mavis got out both the baloney and the ham, making sure there was plenty of meat to make a sandwich perfect for a vampire. She could have gotten some potato chips too, but she didn't really care for salty foods. Even things like french fries tasted almost bitter to her. Just a sandwich and a glass of water was enough for her.

For the next half hour or so, the couple stayed in the kitchen, eating their lunch and chatting while looking at a couple websites. Mavis also sent an email to her father, explaining how great the past couple days have been and how welcoming Johnny's family was. Since it was evening in Transylvania, Mavis was expecting a reply before the day was up, if not within the hour.

Thinking about her father made her also (unfortunately) think about Eve and the human-hotel controversy. Had she tried anything after they left? Were there anymore magazine and newspaper articles, or surveys? She wished there were monster websites so she could find out. But, as advanced as they were, monsters still didn't have the number of technology humans had, and there wasn't a monster newsstand within a hundred miles.

'Everything's going to be fine,' Mavis told herself, forcing all the worrying thoughts to leave her mind for now, 'it'll be just fine.'

()()()()()()()()

*Bzz Bzz* The vampire couldn't help but curse that annoying device once again. Sure, it had some perks like being able to talk to his daughter where ever she was, but it also tended to ring or vibrate at the most annoying times. Most of the time Dracula got any calls, it was just a telemarketer or a spam text anyway. He never had to deal with things like that before he got the cell phone.

Knowing it would bug him until he looked at whatever message it was, Dracula reluctantly fished the phone out of his shirt pocket and read the message. '**Email from MissMavyWavy**' "Mavy!" Dracula grinned.

As the count walked down the hall, he read through the email, smiling to himself. 'Seven boys,' Dracula thought to himself, 'Jonathan's parents must be as busy as Wayne and Wanda are sometimes'. But as big of a job it was raising so many children, Dracula wouldn't have minded having more than one. It was always a bit disappointing to him that his wish would never be. 'One child his better than none,' he would tell himself.

Once Dracula finished reading, he wrote a short reply. He pursed his lips a little. Another thing he hated about cell phones, he wished they came with their own pen and he could write on the screen. It would be a lot easier than using the tiny buttons, and having to constantly go back if a letter was missed or a different letter was in its place.

_'Dear Mavis and Jonathan,_

_I'm glad you two are doing well. Jonathan, tell your parents I said hello. They seem like very good people.'_ He then added one of those emoticons that Mavis liked using, the one that looked like a person smiling when you turned the phone sideways (even Dracula had to admit that was clever). '

_'Things are running smoothly here as well. I do not think we have to much to worry about.'_ That was true, Dracula hadn't seen any sign of Eve since the Q&A. As for other monsters, more supporters were coming forward. They were saying things like, "Maybe it is time to reintroduce ourselves into the human world."

Another supporter said, "Monsters have evolved over the years, perhaps humans have too. And if most of the humans are like the one that has been invited by Count Dracula into his hotel, then I would be more than willing to have our two worlds combine."

But there were plenty of monsters against the idea as well. "Dealing with just one human is one thing, but their whole species? It will just turn into the dark ages." "The saying may be 'Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole witch's brew', but perhaps it can also be said 'Don't let one good apple make you foolish enough to believe the whole batch is good'."

'At least the number of supporters and the number of monsters who don't are a little more even,' Dracula thought to himself. Remembering the letter, Dracula looked back at the phone, his fingers flying across the keys.

_'I hope you enjoy your outing tonight, have fun - but be careful! And that goes for you too, Jonathan! Anyways, I love you my little mouse, and I can't wait to hear from you again._

_Love, Dad.'_

"Aw, that's sweet." Dracula was surprised for just a moment, but then scowled.

"I swear if you keep sneaking up on me, I'm gonna-"

"Aw, relax Drac!" Griffin said, his glasses floating around so they were in front of the aggravated vampire, "Just having some fun, and seeing how my favorite vampire girl's doing. Everyone else is curious too."

"I suppose they do have a right to know," Dracula agreed. After all, they were practically her family. Besides, this was the first time a monster was meeting a human family. Not just a 'Hello, I'm a vampire but wait before you try to kill me'. She was actually living with them. Of course everyone would want to make sure nothing was going wrong.

"So, has Mavis told them about how she's a, you know." Griffin raised his invisible hands and went "Bleh bleh-bleh!" Dracula glared at him for a moment, and then without warning got his claws out and tried to scratch Griffin. Of course, he dodged all the attacks with ease, further angering the count.

"No, she hasn't told them yet," Dracula replied as he stomped past the pair of glasses, "but I would imagine she will soon." He knew how she hated keeping secrets, and they were all getting along so well. "It should be any day now."

"And you're totally worried about it," Griffin observed casually.

"I'm not that worried!" Dracula retorted, barring his fangs a bit, "I trust my daughter completely!"

"Just because you trust her doesn't mean you're not your same old worrying, Count Control-freak self," Griffin said back, "Believe me, we're feeling a little worried too."

Dracula softened a bit at that, but he still scowled. "And you came to tell me this, why?"

"Because, along with Frank, Murray and Wayne, I help keep you from worrying your cape off while Mavis is away," Griffin answered, "Now come on." An invisible force lifted up Dracula's arm and dragged him along a couple feet. "We are going to go the steam room, and then head down to the bar to drink and play cards or billiards or whatever."

"You know I have work to do," Dracula said, easily able to pull his arm away. The glasses turned to face him.

"Three words: Suits of Armor." The count glanced over his shoulder and saw a guard at his post down the hall, who could easily pass on any and all orders to his fellow suits. Dracula still didn't look so sure. "Mavis and Johnny are having fun right now, and they're the ones who actually have to spill the big secret! So, why shouldn't you have a little fun too?"

Dracula sighed, but smiled at the invisible man. "You know, you're a pretty good friend... even if you are an annoying one at that."

"Hey!" The count let out a hearty laugh as he started walking towards the guard. Despite sounding angry, Griffin smirked to himself.

"Side mission accomplished." After all, making sure Dracula stayed in a relatively positive mood and had fun once in a while was another one of his jobs while Mavis and Johnny were on their trips, and it was one he was happy to do it.

()()()()()()()()

Dinner was just a few sandwiches from McDonalds. Johnny had said they would probably get a few snacks a various places that night. And by 'they' he meant not only himself and Mavis, but his older brothers as well.

"I still don't know why I can't go!" Jake complained, "It's not a school night, and I'm pretty much sixteen, that's almost an adult!"

"Sorry dude," Johnny replied, "I know it sucks, but maybe we can bring you back something. Okay?"

"Whatever," the younger redhead pouted. Mavis had to feel a little sorry for him. She knew how it felt to want join in someone's fun, but getting the old 'Sorry, maybe in a few years' (or in her case, decades) line. She gave him a small smile, and made a mental note to hangout with him sometime tomorrow.

"Freddie, do want us to bring you something too?" Freddie looked up from his book and shyly shrugged his shoulders. But Johnny just smiled and told him they would find something good to bring him, and the boy gave a small smile at that.

"Remember, you can go anywhere you want but use your brain," Madison told Matt and David, the two designated drivers/brothers in charge, "I don't want anyone getting hurt or arrested. Have fun, but keep an eye on each other."

"Madi, I think they know what to do," Quincy said, placing his arm around his wife shoulders, "Just relax." Madison gave her husband a small glare, and then sighed.

"I know, I know," she said. Looking up at her two sons, she gave them one more rule. "Don't come home too late, I'd like to see you home at least before the sun rises."

"No problem, Mom," Matt replied, feeling completely confident.

"You may want to remind Blondie and the Wonder twins all this," David added, "but we'll keep an eye on them."

"Dude, I thought you weren't gonna call me that anymore," Alvin said to his brother, almost sounding like he was the third oldest instead of David.

Mavis couldn't help but giggle at them. As she was about to start following Johnny and James out the door, she felt someone faintly tap her arm. Looking down, she saw Freddie. He looked nervous, and was even blushing slightly.

"What is it, Freddie?" Mavis asked, bending down to his level. Freddie looked down at the floor, not even attempting to make eye contact as he started to talk.

"I have a question to ask you." That was all he was able to say before Quincy got both of their attentions.

"Mavis, you may want to get out there," the blonde man told her, "I'm not sure if they can wait much longer." The vampiress looked back at the ten year old. He looked up at her slightly.

"I'll ask you tomorrow, okay?" Mavis gave him a soft smile and lightly ruffled his hair.

"Alright. First thing tomorrow." With that said, Mavis quickly rushed out the door, saying goodbye to Madison and Quincy as she did.

"Let's get going!" Matt called out, already in the drivers seat and sitting next to David. Alvin, James and Johnny were in the back two rows with one seat left open. Mavis couldn't help but admire the car. She had seen a couple cars with no roofs before, but never one this extravagant. The convertible was very shiny and painted a fire engine red.

"This is your car?" Mavis asked Matt. The man had to laugh. "No way, I just rented it for the night, so we can truly enjoy the city."

"The city?" she repeated, her eyes widening.

"That's right," James confirmed.

"Hollywood here we come!" Johnny shouted. Not wanting to waste another minute, Mavis hopped in the car and sat next to her boyfriend. Matt started the car, and they drove out of the driveway, only a mere hour or so away from one of the most amazing cities in the United States.

"What places are we stopping at?" Mavis asked, "Do we have to drive everywhere or are we walking? Are we going to that giant sign?"

"Don't know, we'll probably walk to most of the places, and your boyfriend wouldn't let us go home without seeing it," David answered in order.

"Well, yeah!" Johnny shouted, "What's a trip to Los Angeles without seeing the Hollywood sign?"

"Or going to the clubs?" Alvin added.

"What about the Chinese Theatre?" James asked.

"Watts Tower is pretty cool," David casually added as he read on his phone.

Soon, the five brothers each started voicing their opinions on what were the best places or what the best things to do were while in the big city. As for Mavis, she listened but mostly watched through the open roof. Not because she wasn't interested, but because she wanted to see the huge lights of LA the minute they appeared. When they finally did, Mavis couldn't help but grin, not caring if someone spotted her fangs or not. She was going to a huge city she had never experienced before with a group of friends. What could be better?

"Lady and gentlemen," Matt announced, "Welcome to LA." Everyone in the car cheered, except for David who simply gave a small smile, feeling a little excited despite going to the city plenty of times.

"This is going to be great," Mavis said to herself, smiling as the city lights grew brighter.

**I hate how I ended this chapter :P It was going to be a lot longer, but I found out that I need to do a little more research on LA to write a really good chapter, so I'm going to get right on that and hopefully have the next chapter up soon. So yeah, the next chapter will be all about their night in LA, and the moment you've been waiting for (and possibly dreading) is coming up soon.**

**I'm hoping this story isn't becoming to boring or repetitive. I decided I wanted to add a scene with Dracula, just because we haven't seen him in a while. Griffin wasn't originally going to be in there, but he just kinda happened, lol (plus he's my favorite character, he's just so much fun to watch and write. Here's hoping he gets a decent part in the sequel!). So yeah, if writer's block and/or laziness doesn't strike me down again -which would explain why it took longer than usual to get this chapter up- expect the next chapter soon!**

**Thank you guys so much for sticking with the story so far, and I hope you'll enjoy the last half of the story just as much as the first. Please review, and have a nice day! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Again, I've never been to LA (though I did spend a couple days doing research on it), so if I mess anything up, I'm sorry. Anyway, enjoy!**

Both Mavis and Johnny had been to plenty of European cities, big and small. But there was a sort of different atmosphere about LA. Even in places like London and Paris, Mavis had never seen so many people or cars or skyscrapers. With the bright lights shining down on her, and the wind blowing past her hair, she was wide awake and more than ready to explore. "May, check that out!" Johnny said, pointing out a shiny and mis-shapened building.

Some of the walls curved while others were flat. It wasn't just a simple four walled building, it looked like nearly a dozen metal walls stacked on top of each other. "Who lives there?" she asked.

"No one, it's a concert hall," Matt answered, "and a famous one at that." Even though they weren't stopping, it was still an interesting sight.

More buildings passed by, and every few minutes Johnny or one of his other brothers would point one out. Some were famous or at least fairly well known. Others were just places they remembered visiting before, and causing them to share funny stories.

"So, where are we stopping first?" Mavis asked, after they had been in the city for nearly ten minutes.

"Hollywood," Johnny answered, "that's where all the best stores and sights are. A great first stop."

As they got closer to the Hollywood section of LA, Mavis noticed palm trees lined up around parts of the street. 'Just like in Hawaii,' she thought nostalgically. The buildings soon return, and when she saw a medium sized, Asian looking building just a street or two away, Matt pulled over. As they got closer, Mavis could see a large wall - a semi-circle - surrounding the building. There were also small lion statues, and a large dragon etched in stone on the front wall of the building, as well as a red carpet leading up to the door.

"Grauman's Chinese Theatre," James told Mavis, introducing the infamous building, "this is where a bunch of stars came when their movies premiered."

"They still show movies sometimes," Johnny added, "And if you were really famous, they would lay some concrete mix down and let you write your name in it." Soon the small group split up slightly so they could look at all the names written in the concrete. Most of them Mavis didn't recognize, but that didn't matter to her.

However, one square caught her attention. It had three pairs of footprints, but one was small and the other was... rectangular? "C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader?"

"You know, from Star Wars!" Alvin said.

"That's a movie, right?" Mavis asked. Alvin, James and Matt all looked at her, surprised.

"You've seriously never seen it?" James asked.

"Nope," Mavis answered, feeling slightly embarrassed now, "We, don't really have movie theaters where I live." If it wasn't for Johnny and the few movie theaters they visited or his laptop, Mavis would have never even seen a movie.

"Well, we'll just have to have a movie night before you go," Matt suggested, "Starting with Star Wars."

"What other movies can we show her?" Alvin thought out loud, "Oh! Dudes! Back to the future! Another awesome classic!"

"Jurassic Park!" James and Johnny said in unison, despite being a few feet away from each other.

"I'm casting my vote for the first Batman movie," Matt added.

"Batman?" "I'm guessing you've never read a comic book either." Mavis shook her head.

"Trust us, it's great," David insisted, "you know, as long as you aren't freaked out by bats or whatever."

Mavis couldn't help but giggle at the irony a little. "I think I'll be fine."

After a few more minutes, the group piled back into the car. "Having fun?" Johnny asked her.

"Of course," Mavis replied, "don't we always?" She scooted over closer to Johnny and they relaxed as Matt drove to their next destination.

()()()()()()()

After about twenty more minutes of driving, they were right in the middle of the Hollywood section of LA. Once they found a parking place, Matt suggested that they split up for about an hour and a half. "There are plenty of stores around here, so shop around and then meet back at the car. Alright?"

Everyone agreed, and Mavis made sure to set an alarm on her phone so they wouldn't lose track of time. She took Johnny's hand, and the two started walking down the street.

"So, your family's been to LA a lot," Mavis commented.

"Yeah, at least three or four times a summer," Johnny said, reminiscing a bit, "It was always a lot of fun. Even if we just came here for clothes shopping and our feet hurt from all the walking, it was still fun. I knew a lot of people here, friends of the family and just people who are cool and fun to hang out with. There was always something new to see or do, I don't even think people who've lived here all their lives have seen everything."

"At least that means you can never get bored," Mavis replied. Johnny smiled. "That's a good way of putting it."

They walked about another block when a shop caught Johnny's eye. "Hey! There it is!" Excited now, he rushed up ahead a little, knowing Mavis would have no problem keeping up with him.

Looking ahead, Mavis could see a giant blue neon sign that said "Amoeba Music". "Amoeba music?" she asked.

"Yeah, I would get all my cds here!" Johnny told her. They both walked inside, and were practically surrounded by music. The walls were white, but speakers were attached in the corners of the huge room. In front of them was row upon row of cds, with signs above them listing every genre imaginable.

"Johnny!" Johnny grinned as he waved at the cashier.

"S'up Bro!" he replied. The cashier, a man with short black hair and an earbud in one ear, smiled back.

"Haven't seen you here in a while. How was Europe?"

"Great!" Johnny turned to Mavis. "Mavis, this is my friend Tony. He's worked here forever, and he always knows the best music. Tony, this is my awesome girlfriend, Mavis."

"Cool, nice to meet you," Tony greeted, "If you two need help finding anything, just give me a call."

"Okay," the couple said in unison before going off to browse. Johnny quickly found the 'New' section, and picked up a couple cds that he knew both he and Mavis would enjoy listening to. After looking around by herself for a while Johnny and Tony talked, Mavis found a couple jazz and pop cds for herself, as well as some classical cds she knew her father would enjoy.

"I'll have to remember to buy him a cd player sometime too," Mavis told Johnny as they checked out.

"They still sell old records online," Johnny told her, "maybe we can take a look sometime."

Exiting the store, the couple continued walking until they stopped at a nearby mall. "Beverly Center", Mavis read, looking at the sign.

"One of the biggest malls in LA," Johnny told her. He glanced at his phone. "We'll only have about forty-five minutes to look, but who knows, maybe we'll find something."

Johnny wasn't kidding when he said it was one of the biggest malls in the city. There were eight levels to explore, each busier than the last.

They decided to stay on the first two levels, and while they weren't planning on buying much more, it was the browsing that was the most fun.

"Hey look," Mavis said, pointed out at a two metal dance floors attached to a screen, "Is that a display for a new video game or something?"

"No, but it's one of the funnest video games ever!" Johnny replied, "Come on, you'll love it!" Walking over to the arcade game - probably just put in there a couple days ago - Mavis read the title. 'Dance Dance Revolution'. Johnny fished out two quarters and pushed them through the coin slot, pressing the '2 Player' button once they registered.

"Okay, quick rundown," the redhead said as he scrolled through the songs, "The arrows on the screen are like the ones on the dance floor, press on them with your feet when you see them on the screen. Highest score wins. Got it?"

"Got it!" Mavis said, grinning confidently. The game announcer started counting down. "Three, two, one: Dance!" The music began playing, Mavis didn't recognize the language (it sounded like Japanese maybe) but the beat was catchy, and she quickly got the hang of the game. With her vampire speed and precision, she was hitting every single move. The only time she messed up was whenever Johnny did something funny on purpose.

Even so, when the song ended, Mavis had completely dominated and Johnny wasn't even close. But neither one cared, they were laughing too much to care. "That was awesome!" Mavis told him.

"Yeah, the home version's okay, but there's nothing like the original," Johnny commented, "Hey, can you imagine Drac playing one of these things?" The thought alone made the vampire laugh. It was no secret her father was an excellent dancer, but he wouldn't be able to use his own moves, and the bright lights and loud music would probably make him fumble a little. But she had a feeling even he would enjoy the game.

"We already have one video game in the game room," Mavis mentioned, "maybe I can convince him to get this one."

The two continued walking, going up to the next level and looking through the store windows. They also stopped by the food court since both of them were a bit hungry. "If I don't get some sugar, I may not last much longer than another hour," Johnny told her.

Mavis looked around. She saw Italian (which was off limits for her since Italian food usually had garlic) and French and Chinese restaurants in the food court, but finally she saw a shop that was selling something a little more sweet. The red sign read 'Mrs. Fields', and in the glass case she could see cookies of all different flavors lined up.

"Hello," the employee greeted, "What can I get you two?" They both looked at the menu. There were cookies, brownies, and you could even order a smoothie. But one menu item caught their attention. 'Monster Cookie'.

Johnny and Mavis looked at each other and shared a smile. "Two monster cookies please," they said in unison.

After a minute or so, the employee handed them the cookies. "Enjoy!" she said cheerfully. After thanking her, they found a bench and sat down. The cookies were slightly warm, and it looked like it had chocolate chips and candy in it, plus she could smell a bit of peanut butter and see some nuts in there too. Opening her mouth, she took a big bite, and let the soft cookie melt in her mouth.

"Howly wabbies," she said, her mouth slightly full, "This is the best cowkies I've ever had!" Even better than chocolate dipped Scorpion cookies.

"Man, I fowgot how good their cowkies were!" Johnny exclaimed, his mouth also full. Once they had finished, with their stomachs full and their sugar levels replenished, they continued walking through the mall. Though, they only went past a couple stores when Mavis' phone beeped.

"Looks like we only have fifteen minutes to get back to the car," she said, "Guess it's time to go."

Johnny nodded, and the two started walking downstairs towards the first level in the exit. Their hands were empty except for the cd bags from 'Amoeba Music' (and the wrappers from 'Mrs. Fields'), but their spirits and mood was high.

Running down the street so they wouldn't be late, Mavis and Johnny made it back to the convertible, with everyone else already there.

"Just in time," Matt said, "Did you guys have fun?"

"Yep!" "You know it!"

"Speaking of time, I'd say it's about time we take a break and hit a club or something," Alvin suggested.

"I'm all up for that!" James agreed.

"Is that alright with you, May?" Johnny asked, turning to Mavis.

"Actually, as fun as a club sound, I was thinking of walking around some more," Mavis replied, "But, I can go by myself if you want to go with your brothers."

"But it's a lot more fun hanging out with you," Johnny said. He looked at his brothers. "No offense guys."

Matt just smirked. "Just don't wander off too far," he told them, "When you're ready to find us, we'll be at the Sayers' Club."

The couple got out of the convertible, and Matt drove away. "It's probably a good thing you didn't want to go to the club," Johnny told her, "Most clubs don't let 'eighteen' year olds in. Although, do you know how to do Hypno Eyes?"

"No," Mavis replied with a slight smile, "Advanced Vampire move. If I do learn it, it won't be until I'm two hundred and fifty."

"So, what made you want to keep walking around," Johnny asked curiously. He knew vampires had a longer stamina than humans, but he figures she would want a little bit of a break.

Mavis shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I just wanted to keep exploring. We've only got a couple hours left here, and I'd like to see what else is here."

"I get it," Johnny agreed, "I feel the same way sometimes. Like, I like hanging out with people in a club or going to parties, but if I'm in a new city, I want to see most of that first. Look at the shops, meet some people, maybe go to a festival, stuff like that."

Mavis glanced up, past the buildings and up at the mountains. She could see the spotlights shining on the white letters of the Hollywood sign. "If there weren't so many people, I could maybe fly us up there."

"Maybe next time, when this whole Eve/human/monster thing is sorted out." Mavis couldn't help but smile at how he said 'when' instead of 'if'. "But, if you're looking for some fresh air, I think there's a park near here."

They had to walk a couple more blocks, but they eventually found it. A sign with the words 'Griffith Park' welcomed them. There was plenty of open grass, as well as a couple paths and some trees and flowers. But even with the few street lights shining down on them, the flowers were closed for the night.

"Guess there isn't much of a view," Johnny commented, a little disappointed since he knew Mavis would've liked to see them.

"Actually, I did read a book in the library about flowers that bloom at night," Mavis mentioned.

"Really? But, don't all flowers need sunlight?"

"I guess these only need moonlight," Mavis shrugged, "A few of them grow in America. Come on, maybe we can find some."

So, the two headed down a path. Looking in separate directions for any flower that was blooming in the dark. For a while, it seemed like their search was useless. But then, as they were walking over towards a small pond, a small garden of yellow and white flowers caught Mavis' eye. "Hey, over there!"

They quickly walked over and sat down near the flowers. "Whoa," Johnny said. Even without any sunlight, the flowers were so brightly colored, they almost glowed. There were small lights over by the pond that revealed their reflections (or at least Johnny's reflection) as well as some floating purple flowers that were also in bloom. Some of the purple flowers were also planted in the ground.

"I know I can remember the names of these things," Mavis said, trying to remember. She looked at the small yellow flowers. "These are, Evening Primrose." The bright yellow flower had heart shaped petals and little seed stems sticking out in the center. The next flowers, the big white star-shaped ones were so big, they nearly covered most of the garden. "These are moon flowers," Mavis told Johnny, "and the bright purple ones are water lilies." There were also a few smaller white flowers with dark red stripes on the inside of the petals. "And those, are, uh, oh come on. They're... Night Gladiolus! That's it!"

Seeing a water lily float her way, Mavis gently pushed it back towards the center of the pond. She smiled. Flowers were one of the things that made her wish she could be in the sunlight. But seeing flowers up close, flowers that lived in the dark like her, she knew it was going to be one of her favorite memories.

As Mavis continued looking at the flowers, she felt a light touch. Putting her hand up, she felt a small flower - one of the Evening Primroses - in her hair. She looked over at Johnny, who was smiling at her. "I thought you would like a souvenir."

Mavis didn't say anything. She simply leaned over until her lips met his.

()()()()()()()

"What happened to you guys?"

After their trip to the park, Mavis and Johnny walked back up the street and quickly found the Sayers' Club. It was a small building, but a nice looking one. The guys were already standing outside. James and Alvin both looked exhausted and a bit sick. "They had a drinking and eating chips contest," David explained.

"Again?" Johnny asked.

"Yes," all four brothers said in unison. Almost every party or trip to a club resulted in a chip eating contest plus drinking contest (though the drink wasn't always alcohol, they've had the contest with soda or juice too).

"I won this time!" James added, slightly proud and slightly nauseous.

"Congrats!" Johnny said to his twin. James gave him a weak smile.

Since it was almost one in the morning and the drive home would be an hour, everyone decided it was time to go home. Since Matt had a couple drinks as well, plus the fact he had driven all night, David took his turn at the wheel. About fifteen minutes later, Johnny was fast asleep, as was most of his brothers. As they drove home, only David and Mavis were awake. "I'm surprise you're still up," the brunette commented.

"I'm kinda used to staying up late," Mavis replied, "But aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, but substituting coffee for alcohol makes a difference." A green sign passed quickly, Mavis barely missed reading it. They were only about twenty minutes from home.

"I've read a little on Transylvania," David said, "Seems like a nice place."

"It is," Mavis replied, "though I haven't seen much of it. My dad didn't really let me leave home that often when I was young. In fact, before I met Johnny, I never left it."

"And he let you travel around with Johnny?" David asked, feigning surprise. Mavis giggled.

"It was kind of a surprise to me too," Mavis told him, "In fact, they didn't really get along at first. But now, he's one of Dad's best friends."

"Doesn't surprise me," David commented as he turned onto another road, "Jonathan seems to have that effect on people. He's always so friendly and nice, even when he's angry or upset he never stays that way for long. It makes people either want to hang out with him or punch him." Mavis laughed again, and she could see a small smirk from the brunette. Even though he was different from his other brothers, being a little more mature with a bit of an attitude, he was still just as nice and enjoyable to be with as his siblings.

"Just so you know Mavis," David said, getting her attention, "Really, I wouldn't mind if one day you became my sister-in-law." If he wasn't driving, Mavis would've given him a big hug.

The two listened to the radio for most of the way home, only occasionally talking. When they finally arrived back at the house, the sun was still hidden under the horizon, and wouldn't be up for at least three or four hours.

"Alright guys," Matt said, waking himself up as soon as he noticed the car wasn't moving, "Last stop, everyone out."

"Nooooo," Alvin moaned, turning away from his brother.

"Justfivemoreminutes," Johnny mumbled while his twin didn't wake up at all. The three didn't really have a choice, because Matt and David pulled them out of their seats and lead them to the house.

"I think I'll stay outside for a few minutes," Mavis told them. The air was cool and refreshing, and she could see the stars again which was a welcomed sight after only being able to see a couple of them in the city, plus she wasn't that tired.

"'Kay," David said over his shoulder as he unlocked the door.

"Lock the door when you come inside," Matt added.

"I will." Soon, it was just Mavis sitting on the backdoor steps, smiling to herself.

This trip had been everything she wanted it to be and more. She had fun with Johnny and his brothers, LA had been a great place to explore with lots of things to do and delicious food to eat (she wondered if she could find that recipe for the hotel cooks) and was now, like her other trips into the human world, full of memories.

"I didn't really do a good job planning," Johnny had admitted a few hours ago when they were walking down the street, "I wanted to take you to a concert or a show or something, but there was nothing for tonight, and the few things that were tonight were completely sold out."

"Well, that gives us something to look forward to next time we come here," Mavis told him, "and for the record, you did a great job planning this trip." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek, and the two continued walking hand-in-hand.

'And there is going to be a next time,' Mavis told herself. There was no way she was giving all of this up. It wasn't just LA, it was all the places she and Johnny had explored. Small cities, big cities. Islands, mountains. Beaches, lakes. All of it was just so amazing, and not just because she felt like for the first time she was finally living, but because of Johnny. Her best friend, her boyfriend, her zing.

Even if Eve never stopped trying to shut the hotel down and humans and monsters never formally met, Mavis would never let Johnny go. She wouldn't, she couldn't.

Taking the flower out of her hair, Mavis looked at it and held it close. 'I love him,' she thought with a smile, 'and that's one thing that will never change.'

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the opening of the backdoor. Looking over her shoulder, she could see a small figure. "Freddie?"

"Hi," he said quietly. He silently asked if he could sit with her, and Mavis scooted over. The boy sat down, and glanced up at her.

"It's kinda late for you to be up," she commented.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied, "and I heard the door open, so I knew everyone was home."

"Still want to ask your question, huh?" Freddie nodded, and she gave him a kind smile. "Well, I'm all ears."

Freddie blushed slightly as he spoke. "Can, can I see you fly?"

Mavis blinked. "What?"

"I want to see you fly. I've never seen a bat before," he explained, "and I was wondering if I could watch you fly."

"Freddie..." The boy turned away.

"Please don't be mad, but," he lifted his head and looked straight at Mavis.

"I know you're a vampire."


	14. Chapter 14

She was a bit surprised. If anyone would've been the first to figure out she was a vampire, she would've thought it would be Johnny's parents, or one of his older brothers. "You're pretty smart for figuring it out," Mavis told him, keeping a small smile on her face to let him know she wasn't mad, "Have you told anyone else?"

Freddie shook his head. Mavis gave a silent sigh of relief. "Does Johnny know?" Freddie asked her. Mavis remembered how Freddie had asked before if she was going to hurt Johnny. 'Guess I misinterpreted it a bit,' she thought.

"Yes," Mavis answered, "and we are planning on telling your parents that I'm a vampire, we're just waiting for the right time."

"Like how Jake always waits a couple days to show my mom a bad grade?" the boy asked.

Mavis giggled. "Sort of like that." She faced forward and glanced up at the stars. "We both thought, if your family got to know me a little before I told them, then maybe they would accept me when I did tell them."

"I would've liked you," Freddie told her, "I like vampires." Mavis smiled at him.

"Well, that's nice to hear," she told him, "I thought maybe you didn't. You seemed a little freaked out by me."

"Well, I've never really met a vampire before."

"You do have a point there."

"When I was little, I would read my brothers' books, books that Mom bought them when they were my age and around Halloween," Freddie started to say, "they were always about monsters. Some of them made the monsters mean, but others made them nice, and the story was about how they celebrated Halloween or the parties they had." Mavis smiled at that, remembering all her birthday parties her family had thrown over the years. "I liked reading them, I thought monsters were neat."

The boy smiled slightly. "They were strong, and had powers, and were never afraid or shy. When I got to school, kids would either tell me that monsters were supposed to be mean, or they weren't real. I always thought, why couldn't they be nice? If you can have mean monsters, and mean people, but then have nice people, why can't you have nice monsters too?"

"I'm glad you think that way," Mavis told him, "In fact, it really makes me happy." She looked at him. "I can't tell you much, but I'm not the only monster out there. I'm also not the only nice one. I know a lot of great monsters, who can be kind and funny and really good friends." She smiled to herself. "And maybe one day, you'll get to meet them."

There was a small moment of silence between the two. "Hey, Mavis?"

"Hmm?"

"What's it like to fly?" he asked her.

"Oh, that's right," she said, remembering, "You wanted to see me fly, right?" She glanced around. All the houses around them were dark and quiet. "Well, now would be the perfect time to show you."

The vampiress stood up, and walked a couple feet away. As she walked, she tried to explain what it felt like. "It's like, when you fly, you're in a whole new world," Mavis said, "Everything's bigger, and when you get that first gust of wind and you're flying high above the ground almost touching the clouds, it's just an amazing experience."

"And for a vampire to experience it, all she has to do is just concentrate." Mavis closed her eyes. She couldn't help but remember and recite the words her father said when she transformed for the first time. "You just bend your legs, and push off!"

As soon as her feet left the ground, her vampire form was transformed in a puff of smoke, leaving a fluttering bat in her place. It had been a few days since she last flew, Mavis couldn't help but enjoy every second of it. She flew high up towards the night sky, and let herself float there for just a minute before gravity took its toll. She did a couple loops before slowing down and turning back into her vampire form, her feet gently touching the ground.

Mavis looked up at Freddie and had to hold back her laughter. The boy's eyes were wide, and his mouth was wide open. But his mouth slowly turned into a smile. "Wowww," he said, still in awe, "That was, so cool!" Mavis was starting to see a little bit of his older brothers in Freddie.

As it turns out, that 'one question' turned into many, not that Mavis minded.

"You have other powers too, right?" Freddie asked her as she sat back down, "Like moving things with your mind, and turning into smoke, and hypnotizing people?"

"Well, I can't hypnotize yet," Mavis replied, "but I can turn into smoke, and do a little telekinesis. As for my dad, he can do everything you just listed and more."

"Is your dad a thousand years old?" Freddie asked, "I read that they were immortal and could live forever."

"Actually, Dad just turned 550 this year," Mavis told him, "I haven't met too many vampires, but I know they can easily live to a thousand."

"Do you guys sparkle or burn when you go outside during the day, because these older girls told me vampires sparkled."

Mavis scowled slightly. "We do burn in the sunlight, and we have _never_ sparkled."

"Are you really allergic to garlic?"

"I've never had it before, but my dad ate it once accidentally and his throat swelled up like a balloon. I can only assume I'm allergic too."

"When you and Johnny get married, will you give him vampire powers too?"

"That's the plan," Mavis replied, "he'll be able to live just as long as me, and have my other powers too. But he'll still be the same brother to you, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Freddie smiled. While he looked happy, Mavis could see something else. He did ask a lot of questions about flying, and that was the vampire power that interested the most.

"Hey, Freddie." The boy looked up. "I don't always have to be a bat to fly," she told him, "I can float a little, and I can show you if you want."

"Really?" Mavis nodded. "Um, okay."

They both stood up. "Okay," Mavis said, holding out her hands, "just hold onto my hands, and try not to look down, unless you want to."

Freddie gulped, and he hesitantly but tightly took Mavis' hands. She was easily able to lift him up with her as she slowly floated upwards. Freddie had his eyes closed, but was slowly opening them and looking around.

"Are you doing okay?" Freddie nodded. "Alright, when you want me to go back down, just say so." She continued going higher until they were high enough that their feet could touch the roof of the house.

Gathering his courage, Freddie looked down at his feet, and surprisingly wasn't that scared. He kicked his feet a couple times and grinned. This wasn't just a dream, he was actually flying! She smiled. 'If he likes this, I need to remember to show him the flying tables sometime'.

Mavis waited a few more minutes and then lowered herself and Freddie back onto the ground. "So, what did you think?" she asked him.

"I think, that vampires are really cool," Freddie answered. He blushed slightly. "And, I'm glad you're friends with me and Johnny and the rest of our family."

Mavis smiled at him. "Thank you," she said, giving him a small hug.

No one could really sleep after that, but they had been outside for an hour. If Mavis didn't get him to bed soon, he would sleep in as late as she did. "We should probably go inside now," she told him.

"Alright," Freddie said, feeling a little disappointed, but happy nonetheless. As the two went inside and upstairs, Freddie asked her one more question. "Do you know when you're going to tell Mom and Dad?"

"Hopefully sometime soon," Mavis replied. She and Johnny were leaving in a few days. If they didn't tell them soon, then the point of trip would go to waste.

"Well, I promise to keep your secret until you do," Freddie told her. Mavis smiled and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Goodnight Freddie."

"Goodnight Mavis."

Mavis lowered the attic stairs as quietly as she could and climbed up. The only light in the room was the digital clock, its numbers reading 3:15 AM.

'At least it's a little closer to my usual bedtime,' Mavis thought as she yawned. Even so, Mavis opened her phone and set an alarm for 10AM. 'That'll give me seven hours'. Plenty of sleep for a vampire.

The tired vampiress unfolded the futon, unfolded the blanket, and snuggled up underneath it, quickly drifting into a peaceful sleep.

()()()()()()()

"Hello again, Ms. Sleeping Beauty," Madison said playfully when Mavis entered the kitchen.

Mavis giggled. "Good morning," she replied, sitting down at the table (as far away from the open window as possible). Looking outside, she could see Jake and some other neighborhood boys playing in the backyard. Last night, Matt had bought Jake and Freddie two new waterguns, which were much more effective than the older and more worn ones in the tool shed. 'It looks like Jake's enjoying his present', Mavis thought with a smile. As for Freddie, he was probably still asleep.

"Where's everyone else?" Mavis asked.

"Quincy and David are returning the convertible, Matt and Johnny are having a video game marathon, and James and Alvin are sleeping off whatever they did last night."

"Maybe I'll go up and watch Johnny play after breakfast," Mavis said as she got a bowl of cereal.

"So, you had a good time last night?" Madison asked, "Exploring good ol' LA?"

"Yeah, it was great," Mavis replied, "I loved it. I almost wish we could stay here longer."

"Well, you're always welcomed back," Madison told her, "That is if you ever get bored of exploring the rest of the world." The two giggled. "So, I was thinking, before you go you and I should have our own Girls' Day, take a break from the boys. What do you say?"

"Actually, it sounds like it could be a lot of fun," Mavis replied happily.

"Just what I wanted to hear! We could go to the nail salon and the spa, do some shopping, and just have a great time," Madison said, grinning at Mavis. She loved her boys dearly, but it was nice to have someone she could think of as a daughter.

"Nail salon?" Mavis repeated, looking at your own nails.

"Don't tell me you've never had a pedicure, or a spa day?" Madison glanced at Mavis' nails. They looked so well polished and well clipped (though slightly sharp), she would never believe the girl had never been to a salon.

"Well, I usually just paint my own," Mavis admitted, "but I have had a spa day with my Auntie Eunice and Aunt Wanda." After all, it was easy when you pretty much had a spa in your basement. But they usually just sat in the giant hot pool talking -though Eunice did most of the talking- and maybe getting a shoulder massage from Gustav, the giant squid. Even so, Mavis was looking forward to spending time with Madison.

"Well, you certainly have the talent," Madison commented, "so maybe we'll cut out the salon, but we can still have a great R&R day."

After talking with Madison for a while, Mavis excused herself upstairs to see what Johnny was doing. Instead of the fighting game she had seen them playing a couple nights ago, they were playing a racing game.

Johnny's character - a chubby looking dinosaur - was in the lead, but was hit by rocket and spun out of control, leaving Matt - who's character was a little monkey - to take 1st place. "Aww, cheap shot!"

"Luck of the cube, little brother," Matt said simply.

"Mind if I play?" Mavis asked, sitting down on the floor with them.

"Sure, I'll grab the third controller," Johnny replied, quickly forgetting about his loss.

For the next two hours, the trio played a few more rounds of the racing game (Mavis won two out of three races. Driving a hearse in a thick forest prepares you for any type of driving, even in the virtual world), and then one game of 'Mario Party', which Mavis loved playing.

"I think I'll go get a drink," Mavis said, standing up and stretching a little.

"'Kay," Johnny said, "When you come back up, we'll probably be playing whatever game Matt chooses." Mavis nodded and went downstairs. Everyone was home, and off doing their own thing. She waved to David and Quincy who were watching tv as she passed the living room, and when she went into the kitchen she saw Jake and the other two boys eating sandwiches.

"Hey Mavis," Jake greeted, "Oh, this is Adam and Ren." The two boys waved at her. They looked about the same age as Jake.

"Hello," Mavis said, smiling at the two, "You guys looked like you were having fun out there."

"Yeah, it was great!" Adam said.

"But we came inside to dry off a little," Ren continued.

"Plus, we were starving," Jake finished.

"Well, have fun," Mavis said before taking a sip of her bottle of water.

Jake looked at Mavis, and remembered how she was so strong. If she played sports to be that strong, maybe that meant sports made her fast too. The redhead grinned and stood up. "Hey Mavis, you know, we only have three players, and we would have more even teams if it was two against two instead of just switching off on the extra team member."

"Well, maybe Freddie can play with you guys," Mavis suggested, "he got a new watergun too."

"I know, but I was thinking you could play with us." Mavis froze. She swallowed the water in her mouth and looked at the fifteen year old.

"Jake, I would love to," she said, "but I can't. So, maybe later."

"Come on, Mavis!" Jake insisted, grabbing her arm, "You and I can totally kick their butts."

"Ha! Yeah right!" "That's what you think!" the two boys said, quickly putting their plates in the sink and grabbing their waterguns. As they ran outside, Jake continued pulling on Mavis' arm.

"Jake, stop," Mavis said, her voice a little more stern now, "I can't play right now!"

"Don't worry, it's easy," he told her, "Just point and shoot! You'll love it!"

Before Mavis could continue refusing, Adam and Ren decided to take matters into their own hands. "Come on!" Ren shouted, "Let's just play already." Handing his gun to Adam, the boy grabbed Mavis' other arm, and together they were able to pull Mavis out the door and into the unforgiving sunlight.

When she was little, Mavis always imagined what it would be like to be in sunlight. When she got curious, she found out just sticking her hand into the light resulted in getting hurt. It was like getting a sharp bite, that would quickly heal but still sting.

But that was only one part of her, her hand or the tips of her feet.

The small pain she felt during those moments was nowhere close to the pain she was feeling now.

Mavis tried to hold it in, but she felt like she was going to explode if she didn't. She screamed, an absolutely horrifying, painful scream. Her entire body crumbled onto the ground, and she curled into a ball, trying to make her back the only thing facing the sun. But even that offered little relief. It felt like her entire body was on fire.

Her father was able to stand twenty minutes in the sunlight when chasing Johnny's plane, and was then able to stay underneath the plane in the healing shade. He then carried Johnny back to the hotel in fifteen minutes, his skin and wings burning the entire way. Her father was strong, and when she thanked him for all that he risked, he simply said it was no big deal. She now knew how much he was lying. She wasn't sure if she could even stand another five seconds in the sun.

Jake watched on in shock, looking at his brother's girlfriend's skin go from pale white to burning red in only a few moments. He wasn't sure what do, and his friends were just as scared. Luckily, his father and David appeared in the doorway.

Quincy ran over to Mavis and helped her up, getting her inside the house as quickly as possible. "You two," David said, pointing at Adam and Ren, "Go home." The boys didn't have to be told twice. They ran off as Jake followed his brother inside.

"What happened?" Madison asked, rushing into the kitchen. She gasped slightly, seeing all the burns on Mavis' body. Loud footsteps came from upstairs, and before Mavis could even ask, Johnny was right next to her. Matt and a frightened Freddie stood behind next to the rest of their family.

"Are you okay?" Johnny asked. Mavis gave him a weak smile.

"Y-yeah, just a little burned," she said, giving a light laugh.

"I'll call 9-1-1!" Madison said, grabbing the kitchen phone. But before she could dial the numbers, her husband stopped her. "I don't think we'll need it," he said, pointing at Mavis.

As the family watched, Mavis' skin slowly started healing on its own, and Mavis herself was getting stronger. After about fifteen seconds, she was able to stand without support, and after nearly a minute, you couldn't even tell she was even burned. As painful as it was, Mavis had only spent a little bit of time in the sun. Being younger, she was more vulnerable, but she could still quickly recover.

They all looked on in shock, the only ones who weren't surprised were Johnny and Freddie. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, obviously just as shaken as Mavis.

"Yeah, thanks to your dad," Mavis replied, still smiling for Johnny's sake. They both looked at the shocked family. "But, I think we have some explaining to do."

"How did you, I mean," Madison tried to say, "You were burnt, and you just healed!"

"Yeah," Mavis said, rubbing the back of her neck, "Quick healing is, one of my powers."

"What do you mean, powers?" Quincy asked.

"We were planning on telling you guys eventually," Johnny told them, "We really were, but I guess you want to hear the full story now."

"Well, of course!" Madison said.

"Okay." And so, together, Johnny and Mavis told the entire story. They told about how Johnny found their home, and was frightened at first, but calmed down once he realized Dracula wasn't going to hurt him. They told about how Mavis and Johnny fell in love, how he showed her the sunrise and when they shared their first kiss. They also told them about how Dracula realized that they should be together, and that Dracula and Johnny were good friends now. And in case the 'instant healing' wasn't enough, Mavis opened her mouth wide and showed them her fangs, revealing what she really was.

"And, that's pretty much it," Johnny finished.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner," Mavis said, "I just wanted to get to know you all, like how my dad and I got to know Johnny."

"Seems like a good plan to me," David commented. Johnny and Mavis looked at the rest of the family, who were still a little shocked.

"Well, this is kind of a surprise," Quincy said with a slight chuckle, "But, if all of this is true..." The couple held their breath. "Then, I don't have a problem with any of it." He smiled at the two of them, and Mavis grinned.

"Thank you," she said. Looking at the rest of the family, they were also smiling. That is, except for one. Madison was the only one who wasn't smiling.

"Mom?" Johnny asked, looking at her hopefully. The woman looked at her son, and then at Mavis. As the vampiress looked into her eyes, she didn't see the warmth and happiness she was used to seeing when she looked at Madison.

She saw uncertainty, and fear, and not even the littlest bit of warmth.

"I," Madison started to say. She looked at the couple once more and then turned away. "I have to go wash something," she mumbled as she walked upstairs, leaving the kitchen in silence once more.

**Hurray for Double Feature Update! I wanted to get both of these published the same day, just because I felt like they went together. Also, I'm going to be busy with college stuff all this week, and I'm losing four writing days, so I probably won't update until around the 30th (though I may be busy watching the HT dvd since it comes out the 29th) at the earliest. **

**Since I'm not sure when I'll update next, I wanted to give you guys two chapters instead of one (plus, you guys are awesome). So yeah, hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll see you in a couple weeks!**


	15. Chapter 15

The kitchen was silent, with the only sound heard was of a door being shut upstairs. Everyone looked at each other, silently asking 'What now?'. After all, a big secret was just revealed. Most of the brothers were curious, wanting to ask Mavis questions about her vampire life and to separate fact from fiction. But at that moment, it seemed a little inappropriate. As for Mavis herself, she was looking at the top of the stairs, as if it would make Madison come back down.

Quincy cleared his throat. "Well, uh, guys why don't you go watch a movie or something. Dinner won't be for a couple hours so-"

"Seriously Dad?" Alvin asked. Quincy gave him a rare stern look, and the blonde quickly decided that watching a movie would be a good idea.

"I'm just going to go upstairs and check on your mom," he said. Mavis looked over at him, finally taking her eyes away from the stairs, and Quincy gave her a warm smile. With that, he followed his wife upstairs.

"Well, I guess now would be as good of a time as any to watch 'Star Wars'," Matt suggested. The boys looked over at Mavis, but she didn't seem too thrilled. She wasn't even looking at any of them.

"Actually, I was thinking of spending a little time upstairs," Mavis said, "I mean, if that's okay."

"Sure, no problem," Matt told her, although slightly disappointed.

"Mavis." She looked over at her boyfriend, and gave him a small smile.

"I'm okay," Mavis told him, "I just, want to be alone for a bit."

Johnny frowned. He wanted to stay with her, to make sure she was okay. After all, while the reveal wasn't a complete disaster, it wasn't quite what they planned either. He knew she was feeling disappointed, and that he couldn't always be the one to make everything okay. The redhead forced a smile of his own, and Mavis silently thanked him before heading upstairs herself. Just as she lowered the ladder to the attic, she saw Quincy knock on his and Madison's bedroom door.

'I shouldn't eavesdrop,' she told herself, quickly using her vampire speed to climb up the ladder and shut the door before Madison could even reply.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me," Quincy replied. There was a moment of silence. "Think you can let me in?"

"... You know as well as I do we took the lock off the door when James and Jonathan locked themselves in here."

"I know." "... Just get in here." Quincy smiled and went inside the room, closing the door behind him.

Madison was sitting on the bed. Her dark red hair hung over most of her face, making it nearly impossible to see her expression. But Quincy didn't need to see it. Sitting down on the bed, he sat in a more relaxed position.

"Well this was a pretty exciting afternoon," he said simply.

"'Exciting' doesn't even begin to cover it," Madison replied.

"Well, I had a feeling Mavis was pretty special," Quincy continued, "Though I have to admit this was a surprise. But having a vampire as a daughter-in-law would be pretty unique."

Madison shot her husband a glare, though the man didn't even flinch. "Are you even listening to yourself! Our son is dating a vampire!"

"I know, I was there when they told the story, Madi," Quincy replied.

"Well, you're treating it like a big joke!" Madison shot back, "Like you don't even care!"

All the humor left Quincy's face. It was rare to see him so serious, the man who was always so light-hearted and care-free, who passed that spirit onto his children. At that moment, there wasn't an ounce of it in his expression. "Madison, I do care," he said, "I care about anything that involves one of our boys." Despite being away from home, he would always hear about every contest or game won. Every birthday party or trip to the doctor's. Just because Quincy wasn't home as often as most fathers, didn't make him any less than one.

Mentally scolding herself, Madison looked away. "I know you care," she said, "I shouldn't have said that. But, it's just..." The woman ran her hand through her long hair in exhaustion. "How did this even happen? And don't start telling the story they told us because I heard it already, Quincy!"

Quincy smirked. She knew him too well. "I just mean, vampires shouldn't exist! They're nothing but stories and legends and fantasies for teenage girls! They, they just can't be real." She let herself fall back onto the bed.

"Well, unless this is a late April Fool's prank, we have one living in our house," Quincy reminded her, "and her father's one too. So, as incredible as it may seem, they exist."

"And that's another thing," Madison continued, looking at Quincy, "How do we know she's not dangerous. That, that she's not just stringing Johnny along so she can use him for a snack later."

Quincy was quite for a moment. He stood up, and then sat down on the floor, so he and Madison were eye to eye. "Madi," he began to say, "You've seen those two together for the past week or so. The way they smile at one another, laugh together, hold hands and kissing when they think no one is watching. The things we did when we were dating." Madison blushed slightly. "Now, can you honestly say that they're not in love?"

Madison pursed her lips. "I guess not." The truth was, he was absolutely right. "But still, can we really allow our son to be a vampire? Eventually, if they love each other as much as you say, wouldn't he eventually have to be one too?"

Images filled her head. Her son in a dark room with his girlfriend. She would bite into his neck, and he would change. Would he still be the same fun-filled, adventure loving boy she loved? His skin would become pale, whether it was a side effect of being a vampire of the fact he would never be able to step into the sun. His teeth would become sharp, and he would have to drink...

Madison shuddered. "I can't, we can't just let her-" She stopped when Quincy placed a gentle hand over hers.

"Hey, sweetie calm down," he said, "You know, it isn't exactly an easy thing for me to think about either." She was slightly relieved. At least he wasn't nonchalant about the entire situation. "But, if it does happen, it won't happen for a while. It's like, the equivalent of marriage isn't it?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, your book club did read those vampire books."

"I skimmed them. Besides, the movies were more entertaining."

Quincy chuckled a little. "What I'm saying is, maybe you should talk to Mavis about this. I mean, she would know. You two were planning a Girls' Day Out, weren't you?"

"We were," Madison answered, "I'm not so sure about it now."

"You know, Madi," Quincy said, crawling up on the bed and laying down next to her, "You're afraid about losing Johnny to a vampire, whether she'll drink his blood or turn him into a vampire. But don't you think you'll lose him if you don't give Mavis and their love a chance? You approved of it before. You were telling me on the phone how much you liked her and you only talked to her for about half a minute on the phone."

"But that was different," Madison told him, "Now... I still can't even believe it." Could she approve of Mavis now, knowing what she was? What she could be? Everyone else trusted and liked Mavis, human or vampire. But there was still something holding Madison back.

And yet, he husband's words rang in her head. If Johnny truly loved Mavis, he would never forgive her if she didn't accept their love. The woman sighed. What else could she do?

"I guess I could try," Madison told him, "Maybe we can still have our day out." It would be a bit awkward, but she had to at least give it a shot.

Quincy smiled at her. "Well, I think you two will have a great time."

"We'll see." Quincy still kept a positive face.

"Whatever you say, dear."

()()()()()()()()

Two kitchen chairs sat empty during dinner. Both Mavis and Madison said they weren't feeling too hungry. The vampire was still up in the attic. She ended up just relaxing on the futon, listening to her MP3 player. But even the peppiest songs on her playlist couldn't cheer her up.

'I guess I should be thankful,' she thought, 'I mean, Johnny's dad still likes me, and I think his brother's do too. No one else has a problem with me being a vampire. But still...' She just wished that Madison still liked her.

Mavis really liked Madison, she felt like an aunt to her, maybe even like a mother-figure. 'Even if she lets Johnny and I stay together, she won't think of me the same way.' She rested her head against the cool wall and glanced out the window.

The sun was barely shining in through the curtains, it was nearly set. Walking over to the window, Mavis opened the curtains without a moment of hesitation. Her skin stung a little, but the tree and other houses blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only a little to actually touch the vampire. The sky was a burning orange, the clouds turning a light purple.

Ever since seeing her first sunrise, Mavis had come to appreciate the beginnings and ends of each day. They were just so beautiful, and they were bridges to the two worlds she had grown accustomed to living in. The day, where she would have to be more careful but could still enjoy herself, and the night, where she felt truly in her element and could let others experience it with her.

The swirling, calm colors seemed to lighten her mood, and Mavis even let a small smile slip onto her face. *Knock knock* Blinking, Mavis looked away from the beautiful scenery and turned towards the door, which had opened a crack. "May?" Johnny. "Can I come in, or do you still want to be alone?"

Mavis thought for a moment. She had been alone long enough. "Yeah, get up here."

Johnny opened the door, grinning. "Do you care if we have some company?" he asked.

It was probably Freddie. "No, I don't mind," Mavis replied, giving her boyfriend a true smile, not just one given for the sake of making him worry less.

As soon as he climbed up, Johnny motioned for the others. To Mavis' surprise, it wasn't just Freddie. All six of Johnny's brother climbed up.

"So, I guess you've got some questions for me," Mavis said, rubbing one of her arms.

"Well, we did," David replied.

"But this little guy answered most of them for us," James added, ruffling Freddie's hair. The boy looked at Mavis, worried that it wasn't the right thing to do. But Mavis didn't look angry at all.

"Well, he is pretty smart," Mavis told them. Freddie grinned. "So, you guys really don't have a problem with me?"

"Why would we?" Alvin asked, "You aren't planning on drinking Johnny's blood, you're a cool girl with VAMPIRE powers, I can't think of anything I have a problem with."

"Me neither." "Not a thing." "Who wouldn't want to have a vampire as part of their family." Mavis couldn't help but smile.

"See, I told you you didn't have anything to worry about," Johnny said, putting his arm around Mavis, and she happily let him.

"Well, Mom's still not entirely sure about the idea," David added. Almost everyone turned to glare at him.

"Seriously, not cool dude," James said.

"You didn't let me finish," the brunette retorted, "I was going to say, she's still not entirely sure... but I don't think you have to worry too much about it." He offered a small smile, and Mavis smiled back.

"So, what do we do now?" Jake asked, "I mean, you guys are going back to your dad's hotel in two days, which by the way, can humans visit?"

"Not now," Mavis reluctantly answered, "but, maybe someday." They could at least try to get Johnny's family a chance to visit. After all, they already knew about monsters, so what would be the point of keeping them away from the hotel?

Jake pouted slightly, but continued. "Anyway, if you're not out hunting people, what do you usually do for fun?"

"Well," Mavis said, thinking, "I usually just fly around a little, or read in the library. Sometimes if there's nothing else to do I'll do one of the activities Dad sets up for the hotel guests like bingo or puzzles or charades."

The brothers all looked at each other. Not exactly what they were expecting.

"But, I think I'm more in a 'Movie Night' mood," Mavis added with a grin.

"We were hoping you would say that," Johnny smiled.

Quickly, everyone started getting ready for the movie. Matt and Alvin got snacks while James grabbed the dvd. Once everything was in place, they either sat down on the futon or on the floor.

"Just so you know, we usually end up having at least one popcorn fight every movie night," Johnny mentioned, "Just letting you know." Mavis giggled. As the opening credits rolled, the 'Star Wars' anthem blasting through the tv speakers, she had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting experience.

()()()()()()()()

_"Hello! This is Dracula. I cannot answer right now, but leave a message and I will get back to you... Was that good? Okay, just press this button-."_

Mavis didn't bother leaving a message. After all, as soon as he would see her name, Dracula would call back whether she left a message or not. She could've just sent an email, but Mavis felt like hearing her father's voice.

'Must just be busy with something,' Mavis thought to herself as she pocketed her phone. Reaching over, she started stroking Mojo's fur. The cat barely acknowledged her. They were sitting in Matt and Alvin's room, also known as the game room, with Mavis in a beanbag chair and Mojo on the floor, resting his head on her knee.

The house seemed quiet. After the movie marathon the night before -which Mavis enjoyed despite missing the ending of the third movie thanks to fatigue- most of the house was quiet. Anyone who was up had been forced, either because they had to go to work or to school. 'This place is starting to feel like the hotel,' she thought with a slight giggle. The only ones who were up by choice were Mavis, Quincy and... Madison.

'Well, I can't hide from her forever,' Mavis told herself. Besides, she had yet to had breakfast and she was starting to get hungry. As soon as she took her hand off the cat's head, he looked up at her with a slight glare, as if to say "I didn't tell you to stop".

"I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" she told him. Mojo didn't look too happy, but he reluctantly hopped up on one of the beds and laid down. Mavis gave the cat one last pat, and then stood up.

Walking down the hall, she could hear Johnny and James' snores from above her since the attic door was open. They would probably wake up in a half hour or so. Travelling downstairs, she could see Madison and Quincy sitting on the couch watching a random show.

"Good morning," Mavis greeted in a friendly tone but not too cheerful.

"Good afternoon," Quincy said with a slight smirk.

"Right." She rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed that she had been living there for a week and was still the last one up most of the time. 'At least now they know why,' she thought.

"There should be a tv dinner in the freezer that no one's called dibs on," Quincy told her, "Or you could make a sandwich if you want." Mavis thanked him and walked into the kitchen. Madison couldn't help but wonder what the girl's normal eating habits were.

'Human food must not bother her,' the redhead thought, 'But it isn't exactly something monsters would have, is it? If not, what does she usually eat?' Realizing what she was doing, Madison tried to shake the thoughts away.

After a few moment, Mavis returned with a two sandwiches each with about ten slices of ham or bologna, and took a seat in the slightly worn but still comfortable chair, which was just a couple feet away from Madison.

Just then, Quincy stood up and stretched slightly. "Well, that laundry isn't going to do itself."

"Actually, there is no laundry, I did it yesterday," Madison told him.

"Well, I'm sure there's something I can do." And with that, he left the room, leaving the two together in awkward silence that was only filled by the sound of an audience on the tv laughing at something.

'I swear I'm going to kill him one of these days,' Madison thought. She sighed, and looked at Mavis. "Mavis?"

"Yes?" the vampiress replied, wondering what she was going to say.

"Would you still be willing, to have a Girls' Only Trip?"

Mavis blinked. "Uh, yeah... yeah! I would love to!"

"It won't be quite as big as I planned," Madison continued, "but there is a small diner in town. If you have a way to get there without-" she hesitated for a moment, "getting burned, we can go there tonight for dinner."

"That sounds great," Mavis replied, grinning so widely that Madison could see her fangs (she had to keep herself from cringing), "I'll just take my parasol and I'll be fine. So, we'll go tonight?"

"Yeah," Madison said, "Around six or so. Sound good?"

"Sure," Mavis smiled. She had the same sweet face and bright personality that she had when the two first met. Because of this, Madison couldn't help but return the smile. The conversation ended there, and after a while Mavis went back upstairs to be with Johnny, but even so, the air between them didn't seem quite as thick and awkward.

At just a few minutes after five thirty, Mavis returned downstairs. "Ready to go," she said, wearing a purple tee shirt and black shorts with black and hot pink striped socks. She had read that one of the superstitions humans had was that if you opened an umbrella indoors it caused bad luck. Mavis didn't really believe it, but she kept her parasol closed anyway.

"Alright," Madison replied, grabbing her bag. She was wearing a cool yellow shirt with light blue pants. Her dark red hair was tied in a flat ponytail, using the same black scrunchy as before. "You don't mind walking do you?"

"No, walking's fine." Madison nodded, and the two headed towards the door. Seeing this, Johnny and the rest of his family looked away from the game Alvin and Jake were playing.

"See you guys later!" Johnny said, giving them an encouraging smile.

"Have fun!" Quincy added. Madison and Mavis gave them a small wave, and then left. The early-autumn wind blew through their hair, refreshing them but not enough to make them wish they had brought jackets.

"Well," Mavis said with a slightly nervous smile, "lead the way."

"Just down this street," Madison replied as she started walking, "Should only take about ten or fifteen minutes."

"That's fine." Mavis of course didn't have to worry about not having enough stamina or getting achy feet from a fifteen minute walk.

'I just hope we're able to say more than just a few words to each other,' she thought as she followed Madison down the road, the brown leaves tumbling past them.

**I would've had more, but school and band stuff got in the way :P If it weren't for me wanting to post a chapter today to celebrate the dvd coming out, I would've just waited a day or two more so I could add a few more scenes to this chapter. But you guys have been patient, and I wanted to update, so sorry if it was kinda short. It might be for the best because there's going to be a couple big events coming up in the story very soon, and if I tried to fit it all in this chapter it might be a bit much. Also, I've had enough chapters end on a cliffhanger, and this one's more of a semi-calm ending, so a bit of a change.**

**Anyway, I promise to update ASAP. Please review, and have a nice night! **


	16. Chapter 16

The diner wasn't too big, but it wasn't uncomfortably small either. The walls were a light blue, with black and white tiles on the floor. There were only about five tables in the diner, seven if you counted the two picnic tables sitting outside of the diner. On the window next to the neon 'OPEN' sign, there was another sign in the shape of an ice cream cone. A random radio station played over the soft speaker in the corner of the room.

"This is nice," Mavis commented. She could smell the burgers grilling in the back, practically making her mouth water.

"Yeah," Madison agreed with a half smile, "Sometimes I think the only reason why this place is still open is because my sons insist on coming down here no less than twenty times every summer." They both giggled slightly. "Well, go ahead and order, my treat."

"Oh, okay." Mavis glanced up at the menu. It was the usual diner food. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, fries, nachos, chicken strips, pretty much everything that was bad for you but you didn't really care because the taste was worth it. But the diner must have been more famous for their desserts than their food, because the dessert menu was two times as big as the normal menu.

A banner across the back of the room advertised that the diner had over sixty flavors to offer. Looking back at the menu, Mavis decided to keep it simple and cheap. "I guess I'll just take a burger," she said, "and, what ice cream do you recommend?"

"I'd say chocolate or strawberry, those are my favorites," Madison replied, "But I've heard good things about the new 'red velvet' flavor." Mavis nodded. Stepping up to the counter, the two placed their order. Mavis ordered a burger and a dish of red velvet ice cream while Madison asked for a dish of strawberry ice cream. Only having to wait a few minutes for their food, they sat down at a table towards the corner of the room, missing most of the light that was shining through the windows.

"Looks good," Mavis commented.

"Yeah, good," Madison agreed. The conversation ended there, with the awkward silence returning with full force. Feeling self conscious, Mavis took a small bite of her burger, trying her hardest not to let her fangs show too much.

"So... you and Johnny are leaving the morning after tomorrow."

"Yeah, our plane leaves around four thirty in the morning."

"Seems pretty early," Madison commented, "But, I guess you should leave before the sun rises."

"Uh-huh." Mavis nodded, and took another small bite of her burger. Madison started curling a strand of hair that hung beside her place.

"So, are you heading back to your father's hotel?"

"For a week or so, yeah, but then we'll probably go on our next trip." Mavis smiled at the thought.

"It doesn't surprise me that he wants to take you all over the world," Madison said, smiling and looking up at Mavis, "It was all he talked about as a boy. Seeing everything the world had to offer, he promised travel all around the world before he was thirty."

Mavis laughed. 'Yep, that sounds like him,' she thought.

"It may not be the traditional way to live life, but to him, it's the happiest." The two shared a smile, and the table became quiet once again.

Madison bit her lip slightly. "Do you two, have any plans? For the future, I mean."

Mavis thought for a moment. "Well, I know we want to see Japan and China sometime, and there's still some parts of Europe to see, and I-"

"No, no," Madison interrupted, blushing slightly, "I mean, things like... like marriage and, settling down."

"Oh," Mavis said, her eyes widening slightly. The redhead immediately regretted asking, but at the same time she just had to!

"Um, yeah, eventually." Mavis mentally smacked herself. 'What kind of answer was that?'

"Normally I wouldn't ask," Madison said quickly, "But, I know that, if you two are planning on being together, you'll have to-" She didn't know whether it was the fact that they were in public that stopped her from saying it, or that she simply couldn't get the words out. But she didn't have to, Mavis knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You're right, I will have to do it someday," Mavis answered, setting her burger down on the table, "and to be honest, I almost don't want to."

Madison raised an eyebrow at this. "Why not? Is, is it dangerous?"

"No, at least, not that I know of," Mavis replied, "I've read before how there were times, centuries ago, where a vampire would fall in love with a human. It was pretty rare, and extremely taboo, but it still happened. The human would survive the transformation, but the couple usually hid themselves, cutting themselves off from any monster contact. Probably because they knew most monsters wouldn't be too happy about it." When she noticed Madison's worried face, Mavis offered a reassuring smile. "But that's not what I'm worried about. If Johnny did become a va- one of us, he would be welcomed with open arms."

'At least at the hotel', she mentally added. "No, I guess what I'm worried about is..." Mavis looked down at her ice cream, which was already starting to melt. "if I turn him, and he hates it."

"Because once he becomes one, there's no going back," Madison finished.

"Right." Mavis didn't have to explain to Madison what being a vampire meant. Even though his family would still accept and love him, his life would never be completely the same. He would have to be careful during the day, if he ever decided to settle down and make a home of his own it would maybe have to be in a monster-filled area rather than closer to his parents. He would be immortal, he would have to drink blood (Madison mentally made a note to ask about that later, no matter how queasy it made her to think about it), everything would be different.

"If Johnny had his way, he would've became one a few weeks after we met," Mavis mentioned, snapping Madison out of her thoughts, "But, I wanted to let you and your family to know first."

"Well, that was thoughtful of you," Madison said simply, not quite sure what to say.

"Thank you," Mavis replied, though she still didn't look to sure. The vampiress swirled the semi-melted dessert with her spoon, not feeling very hungry.

"Mavis." She looked up at Madison, and sat up a little. The woman was giving her a soft smile. Her eyes, they didn't look terrified or unsure. Her voice was calm, and kind.

"Out of all my sons, I think Jonathan was the one who cried the least. It was rare to even see him frown. With every situation, whether it was some mean boy at school or homework or a bad grade, he would always try to make the best of it. And, if there wasn't a way to look at it in a good way, he would find something to cheer himself up. He wouldn't let anything try to bring him down. From the very beginning, he wanted to make the most of life."

Mavis looked at her curiously, wondering what she was getting at. Madison just continued. "It's a surprise he stayed at home as long as he did, and when he was finally getting ready to go on his biggest trip yet, travelling across Europe for who knows how long, I remember asking him if he was going to ask anyone to come along, or perhaps meet someone there and travel with them.

"He said that while he was more than willing to make new friends, he would rather travel alone. I guess it made things simpler. There were a few phone calls or postcards where he wrote about going to a party with a few 'cool dudes', or sharing a tent with someone at a concert. But they would always go their separate ways, leaving behind only memories. So, for him to travel with someone, to change all his plans just for one person, he or she must be pretty special to him."

Mavis blinked, and slowly started to smile.

"I don't think you two have anything to worry about," Madison told her, "Everyone, not just me, can tell you two really like each other. He would do anything for you, and I'm sure you feel the same way. So, I don't think you have to worry about him regretting it when 'it' finally happens. Because Johnny will always remember the good things about being one, like being with you. Plus, I'm sure he's told you how he's always wanted to fly?"

Mavis giggled. "Yeah, one time he even rented a Hang Glider so we could go flying together, but I had to help steer it a little."

The two laughed. "Well, hopefully he'll have a little better steering once he has actual wings."

Mavis laughed slightly. "Thanks, Madison," she said, "So, are you really okay with, all of this."

Madison was silent for a moment. She would be lying if she said that there still weren't some things she was unsure about. But, two facts still remained. Mavis was still a nice, sweet, fun girl, vampire or not, and Johnny would always be her little boy. If they were happy, she could be too.

"I think I'm alright with it," Madison smiled. Mavis grinned at her. It was like the 'sunburn' accident never happened.

"You should probably start eating that ice cream, it's pretty much soup now," Madison pointed out.

"Oh! Right." Mavis picked up a melted spoonful and placed it in her mouth, but melted didn't necessarily mean 'flavorless'. "Wow, this is good!"

The two continued eating, and even purchased a basket of (lightly salted) french fries to share. Mavis told her about her and Johnny's adventures, as well as the hotel without revealing too much to the average listener, and Madison told her own stories. Both of them were interested in what each other had to say, and if one didn't know any better, they would've mistaken the two for an aunt and a niece who knew each other most of their lives.

It was nearly eight thirty when the two started heading home, talking and laughing the whole way.

"Maybe I can meet your aunts sometime," Madison said as she opened the front door, "they sound a lot more fun than most of the ladies at book club."

"I'm sure they would want to meet you too," Mavis said, with a slightly forced smile. Hopefully they would get the chance to meet.

Peeking around the corner, Johnny saw the two, smiling at each other and talking. "Hey, what's up?" Johnny asked, smiling since he already could tell that the night went over well.

"Oh, just a little Girl Time," Madison replied nonchalantly, though she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"I didn't know you used to wear metal on your teeth," Mavis said playfully, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend, "or that you used to wear glasses." Johnny's smile soon turned into a horrified face. He looked at his mom.

"You didn't."

"Oh Jonathan, your pictures are cute no matter what you say," Madison replied, amused at her son.

"Mooom! Not cool!" The two girls laughed, and even though Johnny was slightly embarrassed, he couldn't help but smile along too. Madison went into the living room to join the rest of her family, leaving the couple on their own.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let Matt teach her how to put old pictures of us on her phone," Johnny joked.

"Hey, you saw one of my embarrassing pictures," Mavis retorted, "It's only fair. Besides, she's right, you were cute." Smiling at each other, they walked towards the living room where the last scene of a movie was playing on the screen.

It was a superhero movie, where a man, who was wearing a mask that had bat ears on it and was wearing a cape, was flying through a city in a plane. 'Is this another version of vampires they made just for a movie,' Mavis thought, making a note to ask later.

Most of the family cheered when the hero defeated the bad guy, and they all clapped when the credits started to roll. "Two good movie nights in a row," Matt commented.

"I need to remember to take some of these with me when we go," Johnny said, "I bet some of the guys back at the hotel would love this!"

"As long as you don't touch any of my movies, go right ahead," said David as Matt stood up and took the dvd out. When he turned off the player, it switched back to normal tv, which was currently on a local news channel. Johnny took the remote, curious to see what else was on and was about change the channel when an image flashed on the screen that made his hand freeze.

_"We return to our top story. Reports have been sent, calling attention to a castle that might have been hidden for centuries!"_ In the center of the screen, was a picture of Hotel Transylvania from the view of a helicopter. It was surrounded by mist and a thick forest, but thanks to state-of-the-art cameras, the hotel was practically in plain sight. Everyone's eyes widened, and Mavis moved closer to the screen.

_"This castle was spotted in Transylvania, thanks to a tip given by an anonymous source. They also say, that there are not only people living inside it, there may be creatures that are thought to only be myth. Monsters like werewolves, vampires and yetis. Our investigators haven't been able to get close to the castle to see if anyone, or anything, is in there, but we will keep trying and keep you updated. Back to you, Ted."_

"I don't understand it," Johnny said, not believing his own eyes, "How did they even, I mean, I couldn't even find it without following a trail of flaming zombie people!"

Matt gave his brother a strange look for a moment, but then went back to looking at the screen. "But, if people have found your dad's castle, Mavis, what does this mean for you guys?"

"It's supposed to be a secret," Freddie said softly, "Right Mavis?"

The girl still hadn't spoken. Finally, she stood up. "I have to call my dad!" With that, she raced up the stairs, leaving a light trail of purple smoke behind her. She threw open the door and flew up into the attic, snatching her phone off her suitcase.

She turned it on. No new messages, no missed calls. She pressed '1' on her keypad, and it instantly started calling Dracula. 'Please pick up,' she thought, 'Please be alright.'

After two rings, a weird sort of chime played. "I'm sorry," said a female voice, "The number you dialed is no longer in service."

"What?" Mavis hung up and tried again, getting the same result. She shut her phone, and tossed it on her bag.

'This can't be happening,' she thought, tears prickling behind her eyes. No, she wasn't going to cry. Everything was going to be alright, it had to be. It just had to.

()()()()()()()

It was an extra two hundred dollars, but Madison and Quincy were happy to pay. Mavis and Johnny were able to get on the earliest plane to Transylvania. While most of Mavis' plane rides felt like the start of new adventures and journeys into a new world, this one felt like a trip to a guillotine.

"Any luck with Drac?" Johnny asked.

"No," Mavis replied, "Still nothing." Johnny sighed, and wrapped his arm around her. He knew it probably wouldn't offer too much comfort, but it was better than nothing.

Mavis was silent the entire plane ride. She didn't even let herself sleep, and even though Johnny did, he couldn't barely get in an hour.

When the plane finally landed, Mavis felt her stomach start to twist. 'Please be okay, Daddy. Please don't let anyone be hurt.' They exited the plane, found their suitcases as fast as possible, and hailed a taxi.

Normally on the trail to the edge of the forest, the traffic would get thinner. But today, it just kept getting thicker. At one point, a police officer actually stopped their car. He spoke in Russian, but the driver was able to translate. "He says, you can't drive any further."

"That's fine, we'll just walk," Johnny said to the driver as he got out his wallet and took out a few bills, "Thank you." The driver took the money and nodded. As soon as they stepped out of the car, the driver made a u-turn and drove away.

Outside the edge of the forest were reporters, police cars, and spectators eager to see what or who the investigators would pull out of the mysterious castle. Two officers were standing over a car with the hood open. They couldn't understand what the officers were saying, but they sounded confused. Even so, there were other guards blocking the path. "There's no way we can get passed this crowd," Johnny told Mavis, "At least, no normal way."

"Follow me," Mavis said. She led him passed the cars and people, making it look like they were leaving. As soon as they were far enough, Mavis lifted her hands. A small but thick fog was starting to float out in front and around them. It was a simple vampire power, you just needed either a source of water nearby or humid weather and you could make your own fog, and there was a river leading to the castle not too far away.

If it weren't for how serious the situation was, Johnny would've commented on his girlfriend's awesome vampire powers. Instead, he quietly followed her into the forest, not being noticed by anyone.

Since they wanted to get there quickly, Johnny carried Mavis' suitcase, and Mavis carried Johnny. Even with the extra weight, Mavis was still able to fly to her home twice as fast as any normal bat. When they arrived, Mavis could tell something was off. The castle always made her feel warm, and at home, despite sometimes feeling trapped there. Even during the day she there would be noise coming from the castle, and movement seen from the windows whether it was a maid cleaning or a monster that would stay up during the day.

But now, it felt empty, and abandoned. The castle was silent, and not a single silhouette or light was seen through the window. Even though the early sun was casting a orange glow on it, the hotel seemed colder than ever.

"We'll take a secret entrance," Mavis stated. There weren't any helicopters watching them, but she wasn't taking any chances. It was the same entrance that Mavis had used to take Johnny to the roof, but that wasn't the only place it led to. With just a couple different turns, they were led to a brick wall with only a lit brass torch hanging on it.

Taking a breath, Mavis reached up and pulled down on the torch. The walls groaned and rumbled, folding back to reveal the lobby, though it was almost unrecognizable.

Dust covered the furniture like a blanket. The curtains were torn, and all the shiny gold and silver keys that hung behind the front desk were gone. The elevator doors were taken off, and one of the lifts was completely gutted leaving only an empty shaft. The once lively lobby looked completely abandoned. Even the grand staircases looked slightly cracked and worn.

Taking a slow step into the room, Mavis could only stare. She was so used to seeing it full and cheerful. Even the suits of armor and the mariachi band were gone.

"I thought the reporter said that no one could get in here," Johnny said, wiping his hand on the dusty chair, just to see if it really was that dirty or if it was just some trick. The dust stuck to his hand, and he quickly wiped it off on his shorts. "So, why is it like this?"

"I don't know," Mavis replied truthfully, "Maybe it was one of Dad's emergency plans." He had plenty of them, wanting to make sure no monster who was a guest in his hotel was harmed in a sudden human attack. But, if that was true, if all the monsters were evacuated, why didn't her father wait for her? Why didn't he call her, or at least tell her where he would be?

Mavis cupped her hands. "Hello?" Her voice echoed off the walls, acting as her only reply. She tried again, this time louder. "Is anyone still here? Hello! It's me!"

Silence. Mavis lowered her arms. No one was there, and she had no idea where they were or if they were safe. If her father was safe.

"Hey, maybe they're upstairs, or-or in the basement!" Johnny said quickly, "and they just can't hear you." Mavis looked up at him, and Johnny gave her a hopeful smile. The boy was just about to head up the stairs when the both heard a light sound. The sound of footsteps.

The grew louder in such a short time, like a one person stampede. From the top of the left staircase, the one monster they were looking for appeared. "Mavy?"

"Dad!" Dracula flew downstairs and hugged his daughter. "Where's everyone else?"

"They were taken out the secret exit," Dracula told her, "Don't worry, they're safe."

"We saw everything on the news," Johnny said, walking up to the two vampires. "Drac, how did this happen?"

"I don't know," Dracula replied with a slight sigh, "all I know is, our probation period is over."

Mavis looked up at her father and slowly shook her head. "It, it can't be."

"Our home was seen by nearly every human in the world," Dracula stated, "and even if they find no evidence of monster kind here, the council would never deem it safe here." He looked sadly at his daughter. "I'm afraid, there's not much left we can do."

Mavis couldn't believe it. All these years, all the friends she had made, the memories that were in the castle. It wasn't just a hotel, it was her and her father's home. It was their home, and there was a chance she could lose it all.

And at that, Mavis finally allowed herself to cry.


	17. Chapter 17

"Any sign of her?"

"No, Sir," the empty suit of armor replied, trying not to sound annoyed with his boss. Dracula had been asking that question throughout the week, and every time the answer was the same. No other vampires had entered the hotel, the gargoyles haven't seen her flying around the castle, and even her owl failed to make an appearance. The newspapers had not held any clues either. There were a few small articles about the Human-Monster debate, but Eve never made any comments in them.

"Alright, thank you," Dracula said as he left the knight to continue doing his job. 'I don't understand it,' he thought to himself, 'I figured she would try something'. For someone vowing to take down his hotel, Eve hadn't been doing much to achieve this goal, at least not lately.

So, the count was left puzzling all of this as he walked down the hall on his daily rounds. "Are you thinkin' about her again?"

Dracula stopped and looked at the shrunken head hanging on a door, the same one that hung on Mavis' whenever she was at the hotel (no point in having a head on a door with no one in the room). "Seems like all you do anymore is worry about your daughter, or worry about Eve shuttin' down this place."

"And it seems like all you ever do is annoy me," Dracula retorted, "besides, I haven't been worrying about Mavis that much."

"Alright, you have been gettin' better, I'll give you that," the head replied, rocking back and forth as she talked, "But what about Eve? Have you ever tried, oh, I don't know, talking to her!"

"Yes, I've tried," Dracula replied, scowling a bit as he remembered the first confrontation he had with Eve, "but she refuses to take anyone's side but her own."

"Well then, try harder, and leave the politics out of it!" the head practically shouted, "After all, you two were in kinda the same boat."

Dracula softened a bit at that, but immediately shook it off. "She doesn't even like me," the vampire argued, "She even said she blamed me for what happened! As far as she's probably concerned, we're both vampires and that's the only relation we have."

"For someone who hates when people are stubborn, you sure do jump to conclusions a lot."

Dracula sighed through his nose. "Why must you always insist on acting like a conscious? I'm perfectly able to make my own decisions."

"Because that worked sooo well when you decided to build a fake village!"  
Dracula had had enough. Using his powers, he sewed the head's mouth shut and walked away from her, ignoring the muffled, angry protests.

'I just need to clear my head,' he thought as he walked up two more floors where he knew there was an open balcony. Some fresh air would do him some good.

The sky was a little cloudy, Dracula wouldn't be surprised if it sprinkled a little that night. But a little rain wouldn't bother him. Taking a leap out the window, he let himself freefall for a few moments before transforming and flying back up towards the sky. He was slightly disappointed the moon was hidden, but he could still enjoy his flight without it.

The cool open air was one thing he really loved about living in this country. As he slowed his wings and glided on the air, Dracula couldn't help but lose himself in his thoughts...

_"Daddy! This is so much better than flying around my room!"_

_Dracula chuckled. "I know, Blood Orange, but you also need to be more careful."_

_"I know, I know," Mavis replied, having heard it plenty of times before, "I'm gonna fly to the moon!" She zipped up into the sky as high as she could fly, and then back down to her father. "I was right in front of it! Didja see? Didja see?"_

_"Yes, that's my girl!" Dracula grinned, "Now, the scorpions should be out. Why don't we do a little hunting?"_

_"Yay!" With the cool wind guiding them, the two bats flew gracefully through the sky and into the forest, eager to find some crawling treats... _

*Brbrbrbrbrbr*

A noise took away Dracula's concentration, but it was not like any noise he had ever heard. It sounded like a motor, or perhaps, propellers?

The bat looked up, and instantly looked away. A bright light shined right in his eyes, practically making him crash land in the river. As he tried to get his sight back to normal, Dracula looked down at the dark river. But, a small section wasn't dark.

Right below him, there was a small but bright circle. He knew it couldn't be the moon, the moon was white while this was almost yellow. As his eyes slowly returned to normal, Dracula noticed a sort of silhouette behind the light, though it was hard to see the exact shape thanks to the quick ripples in the water.

Wanting to find out what this strange thing was once and for all, Dracula moved faster and away from the light, and then hesitantly looked back up. What he saw made his unbeating heart drop.

The light was coming from the spotlight attached to the head of the machine. The noise was, indeed propellers, but they were more advanced than the wooden ones from the old planes, made of shiny material. Light didn't only shine from outside the machine, but inside as well, revealing two middle aged men who were sitting inside the flying machine.

Dracula could hear them speaking in Russian, a language he knew well. _"See, this is the right spot. There's the castle." "Alright, let's see what we can find."_ The helicopter slowly started moving forward, while Dracula could only watch on in shock.

'Humans,' he thought, barely able to believe it himself, 'They found it'. As the helicopter flew on, Dracula could see a symbol on the side with Russian letters underneath it. He didn't know what the exact name was, but he recognized one word: News.  
'And, so has every other human.'

Without wasting another moment, Dracula shot forward, flapping his wings as fast as they could go. Making it back to the hotel in record time, he didn't bother stopping until he nearly ran into a suit of armor.

"Alert every guard!" Dracula ordered, "Tell them to move all guests downstairs and out the secret entrance."

"Sir?" the knight said, wondering what could've brought on this spontaneous evacuation.

Dracula was silent for a moment, his wings flapping being the only noise he was making. "I, spotted a news station helicopter about a mile away from the hotel. They'll be here in minutes. We can't afford to let any monster be seen."

"Yes Sir." The situation was perfectly clear now, as was what it meant. But despite his disappointment, Dracula stayed strong. After all, he had a duty to his guests, first and foremost.

As the suit ran off, Dracula transformed back into his normal form. "Attention all guests and zombies," he announced loudly, quickly getting everyone's attention, "You all need to go into the secret tunnels and follow the knights out. We are in a serious situation and -"

That was all he could get out before the monsters started talking and worrying. "What's going on?" "Why do we have to leave?" "Is there a mob!" "Count, what's happening?"

"Please, stay calm!" Dracula said, trying to keep his own voice calm, "There's has been a human news helicopter spotted outside and we need to get everyone out before they come. But I assure you, you will be safe." With that, the vampire quickly walked across the room and pulled down on a brass torch. The wall opened, revealing a dimly lit tunnel. "Once you go down the stairs, a knight will meet you and take you out safely. Please go in an orderly fashion."

He didn't have to tell the monsters twice. Quickly (but no so quietly), they rushed through the doorway and down the stairs. Once he was certain every monster was out, he shut the door. Turning back towards the lobby, only a few witches were left.

"Alert the other maids," Dracula told them, "get all the spells and potions you have to make this place look old and abandoned, like no one has been here in years. Close the curtains too. Once you are finished, do not hesitate to find an exit and leave."

"Yes, Count Dracula," the ladies said quietly before hopping on their broomsticks and flying away. The large room quiet and abandoned, Dracula was the only one left standing.

He scowled. Why did this have to happen now? Before their probation ended, before the monster council could decide whether or not it was time for the human world and monster world to meet. Now that the hotel had been discovered, the council would never consider it safe.

Besides, even if the humans found nothing, they would be interested in the castle. Investigators and historians would search every nook and cranny, and when they were done, he didn't know what they would do with the castle. Would they leave it abandoned, or would they fix it up and turn it into a museum like they had with his and Martha's old home? Whatever they decided to do with it, it was no longer in Dracula's power.

But that didn't mean he didn't have a job to do. He had to go to the one room where the witches couldn't, his own.

Deciding flight would be faster than taking the stairs or elevator, Dracula transformed once again and zoomed up the stairs, dodging witches on brooms as he went. He flew up nearly twenty flights, not even breaking a sweat, before stopping at his bedroom.

The room was dusty enough, so he didn't have to do much. There were a few business papers he knew he left in there, he could easily burn them to a crisp. But one big thing remained. He looked up at the back wall. His own face, smiling, reflected back at him, standing next to his late wife in a state of eternal bliss.

It killed him to have to do this, but if anyone found it, it would raise too many questions. It was easy to break the frame open, and once he got the picture out, he tore a small section of it. Just his lovely wife's face, that's all he needed from the picture. After folding it up, he placed the now smaller picture in his pocket. The rest he crumpled up and tossed into the fireplace. Once he was sure all that was in there was ash, he extinguished the fire.

Light started shining in through the curtains, and Dracula quickly dashed back to the shadows. He could hear the propeller's above his window, maybe a dozen yards or so away from the castle. He stayed absolutely still, and didn't move until the noise faded away and the room was once again dark. He gave a small sigh of relief. He hoped that everyone, including the witches, were out by now.

A sudden ringing made Dracula nearly jump to the ceiling. It came from the corner of his room. "Of course," he said, resisting the urge to smack himself. How could he forget about his cell phone? He had taken it out a few minutes before he talked to one of the suits of armor.

Walking over to the annoying little device, he saw that there were no numbers on the screen, just the word 'Unknown'. Every call he had ever gotten, even the ones who were just telemarketers, there had been some kind of a number.

'Wait,' he thought, 'Could it be...?' The humans couldn't have tracked his cell phone number, could they? Human technology had advanced so much, nearly three times as fast as monster tech. It was quite possible.

Quickly hitting the 'Ignore' button, a new message popped up on the screen. 'Missed call: Mavis'

"Mavy?" Dracula said quietly. Looking at the time, she had called during his flight. Was she okay? Did she already know? He nearly called her back, but he stopped just seconds away from making the call.

If the humans could track his number, what says they couldn't track Mavis' if he called her? Even a text message could be dangerous. Dracula scowled. He wanted to call his baby ghoul, but he didn't want to put her in danger.

"If she's heard what happened," Dracula said quietly, "She'll come here first, there's no doubt about that." And he would be waiting. But as long as there was an electronic signal on the castle that any human could track, both of them would be in danger. With that said, he broke the phone by clenching it in his hand, hardly using any effort at all. His vampire strength made it nothing more than a handful of plastic and tech in seconds. Since he couldn't burn it, he just placed the remains of the cell phone in his pocket, careful not to rip the picture.

With everything in the room taken care of, Dracula headed towards his study.

The witches had already beat him to it. His study was covered in dust, and all his papers were missing. He assumed they either took them, not knowing if they would be important or not, or burned them.

Knowing his job was completely done now, Dracula slowly walked down the hall. The witches had done a good job. The wallpaper was torn, all the shrunken heads were gone, and the number plates and doorknobs were rusted or missing. The carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in years.

'They really were hard workers,' Dracula thought, a bit sad that he would most likely never see them again. They would get jobs somewhere else or go back to their own homes. He started heading downstairs, knowing all the hallways would look like that one.

Reaching the lobby, he almost didn't recognize the room. What once looked so lively and grand, now looked shabby and abandoned. Of course that's what he wanted, but at the same time, he wished he could just snap his fingers and get the room back to its' former glory.

The doorway was now just an open hole, the revolving door gone. Even one of the elevator's was missing. For the time they had, and the short notice Dracula gave them, the witches were able to use every second of it.

Turning his head towards the ceiling, Dracula couldn't hear the helicopter. It was either by another part of the hotel, or it had flown back to where it came from. But it would come back, and it would bring company. There's was no point in hoping it would go back and never return.

So no, all Dracula could do was wait. Wait for Eve to appear, probably with a victorious smirk. Wait for Mavis and Jonathan to come, so he could give them an explanation. Wait for the humans to start coming into his hotel, his home.

Just, wait. Knowing there was a secret room hidden upstairs, he half-heartedly started walking towards it.

The room had no windows, barely any light, and it was small. Perfect for a waiting vampire. But, against all odds, he must've fallen asleep, because after what seemed like only a couple minutes, a voice startled him...

()()()()()()()

Dracula and Johnny both looked down at the floor sadly while Mavis softly cried.

"There has to be a way to fix this," Johnny said, "I mean, no one knows monsters lived here, they just know there's some old castle in the woods. Can't we just, open a new hotel somewhere else?"

Dracula looked at him. "Jonathan, it took years to get this place built. And after all the close calls this place has had with humans, do you honestly think the council will give me permission to build another hotel?"

"Besides," Mavis added quietly, "It wouldn't be the same."

Johnny's face fell a little. "But, what if the council decides to let humans and monsters meet? Then we can open this place up again, because it wouldn't matter if humans know-"

"Are you still believing that will actually happen?"

That voice made all three of them look towards the doorway. "Or are you just clinging to false hope?" Eve finished.

Everyone, even Johnny and Mavis, glared at her. "What, here to tell me what I already know?" Dracula asked, a bit of venom in his words.

"No," Eve said, "I was just coming to make sure all your guests were safely evacuated, and I was going to tell you what you needed to do, but I see you've already done it." As she said this, she looked around at the worn and dusty lobby.

"When I saw that humans had discovered this place, I spoke to a witch colleague of mine," Eve continued, "She placed a spell around the castle, a spell that prevents human machines, such as helicopters and cars, from coming close enough to enter or land on the hotel. This only lasts a day, so you need to leave."

Surprisingly, Eve wasn't gloating. She didn't even look that happy. But that didn't make the trio any less angry at her.

"Is that all you have to say?" Dracula asked.

"No," Eve replied, "I also came to tell you that the council will see you in three days, and on the third night, you will come and face the council. It's pretty much already decided your hotel will close, but-" As she said this she looked specifically at Mavis and Johnny, "If you two want to continue this silly attempt to get our world and the human world to meet, that will be your chance. But don't expect any miracles."

With that, the vampiress turned and started walking away. But something stopped her.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Eve turned to look at the source of the question.

Mavis took a few steps forward, still glaring at the woman. Her tears had stopped, determined not to make her look weak. "You were the anonymous source that called the news network," she continued, "How else would you know and activate the spell as fast as you did?"

Eve gave a small laugh. "Congratulations, you're smarter than these two," she said. Dracula growled slightly. Her small smile disappeared though. "As a member of the monster council, my first and only duty is to protect my kind, my fellow monsters. But you, your human and your father were risking the safety of all monsters. Not only that, you were putting yourself in danger."

"Why do you care!" Mavis shouted, "and I wasn't in danger! Johnny's family were some of the nicest people I've ever met!"

"Not to mention the only ones you've met besides him," Eve retorted, scowling a little herself, "And if I recall, not all of them gave you a warm welcome once they knew what you really were."

Mavis faltered a bit. 'She must've been watching us,' she thought, 'or had someway of watching'. Despite this, Mavis stayed strong.

"So what if it's true?" Johnny said, moving a few steps forward so he was standing next to his girlfriend, "They all accept her now!"

Eve gave another small laugh. "Ha, do you honestly think humans are that accepting? Let's say, a couple months from now, a reporter releases a story, saying vampires are nothing but liars and giving false accounts of vampire attacks? When the protests and riots start up, can you honestly tell me that your family wouldn't join in themselves? Humans are nothing but a flock of sheep, following the flock only to protect themselves. They wouldn't care about anyone else."

"Don't talk about them like that!" Johnny yelled, getting really angry now, "My family would never do that!"

Eve gave him a look, obviously not believing him for a second.

"Look," Mavis said, knowing all this arguing was getting them nowhere, "I know you think we're naive. But I know the darker side of humans, I know what they've done to our people. But that doesn't mean they can't change!"

"What could you possibly know?" Eve questioned.

"I lost my mother to an angry mob," Mavis told her, "and I miss her-"

In a flash, Eve was standing over her. Johnny was shoved aside, leaving him more shocked and surprised than hurt, and he wasn't the only one surprised.

Standing in front of her, Mavis saw a different Eve. Her cold, calm exterior had finally been cracked, and all she could see from the woman was hot fury.

"How can you honestly say you miss her?" Eve asked, her words bitter, " You didn't even know her! If it weren't for your father telling you about her, you wouldn't even know she existed!"

"How can you say that!" Mavis shouted.

"Is it not the truth?" Eve shot back, "You hardly remember her. How can you miss someone you never knew? Did you know her likes, or dislikes? Her hopes and dreams? Her thoughts, her life!"

Eve was shouting so loudly, Mavis had to take a step back. But Eve just took a step forward. "Even your father didn't know her compared to me!"

A hot tear rolled down Eve's face as her cheeks got red. Mavis was shaking, she could hardly breathe. She could only listen to Eve's rant.

"Listen to me," she told the girl, "when you've known someone all your life. When you've spent nearly your entire life with them, and then, when you've had that person ripped away from you, from the same scum that's hurt you all your life, _only then_, are you allowed to say that you miss them, and that you've seen the dark side of humans!"

A couple more burning tears dropped from Eve's eyes, and the room was silent.

"Eve," Mavis said quietly, "Did, you know my mother?" Eve didn't reply. "Were you two, best friends?" Still, nothing.

Eve wiped her cheeks, and looked at the young vampiress, hurt eyes looking back at curious ones. Curious, blue eyes.

"You look a lot like her, you know," Eve stated, "her blue eyes, her smile, her naive ideas." She looked down at the floor. "Maybe that's why I wanted to protect you, even more so than all the other monsters who stayed here.

"Because, like your father, you're the only thing I have left of my sister."

If Mavis' heart had been beating, she had no doubt in her mind that it would've stopped when she heard that.

'My sister'

"E-" That was all Mavis could get out before Eve transformed and flew away, only staying in the outside sun for a moment and then going into the shadows, disappearing from their view.

She was still shaking, still in shock by what she heard. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but knew it was just Johnny, and placed her hand over his. They both looked over at Dracula, who was surprised, but sad as well.

"Dad?" Mavis said. That was all she needed to say. He knew what she was going to ask.

The count gave a sigh. "I didn't know she cared so much about you, Mouse," he said, "Or how strongly she felt about protecting the monsters of the world. But I didn't know how bad she was hurting." He looked at the couple. "Your aunt, she has a lot of history. I don't know it all, only what your mother told me. But, perhaps it's time you knew."

Knowing they were in for a long story, Mavis and Johnny sat down on the floor, holding each other's hand tightly. Dracula sat down as well, and began telling the story, feeling guilty for not sharing it before.****

Author's note: (I have to write this fast because I want to publish this this morning, but is blocked at school, so I have to do it before school). Here's the big plot twist of the story. I've wanted to write this scene probably since the third or fourth chapter, and it almost killed me having to wait this long. But I did, and I hope it was worth it. I personally like how it turned out, and I hope you guys do too.

A couple reviewers, as well as a real-life friend who I told about this story, already guessed the big twist, but that's fine. I just hope the ones who weren't expecting it are okay. Also, I have to mention this: OVER TWO HUNDRED REVIEWS!

You guys, I just really love you guys! I never imagined this story would get so popular! You guys are the best, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing, because there's only a few more chapters left. Again, you guys are awesome! I'll see you in the next chapter! 


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Whenever there is a break, know that it is most likely a time skip to a more important entry/letter/etc, because if I didn't fast forward a bit in this chapter, it would've been three times longer than it already is. Anyway, enjoy :)**

**From the Diary of Genevieve Lubode**

It was a particularly cloudy morning today, so Martha and I went out into the forest for a little while before going to bed. Father doesn't really like the idea, but he says he can't stop young feet from wanting to run, so he allows us to go. Mother hates the idea even more so, saying young ladies shouldn't be playing in forests where mud and dirt and other things that make her grimace are abundant.

Going out into the forest, I must admit it was nice to get some fresh air. All the rain has made moss grow on the sides of our home, and it makes the air a bit heavy. It'll be gone soon enough. Since we were both tired, Martha and I didn't start running or flying right away, we simply strolled along and relaxed.

Probably after a few minutes passed, Martha spotted a scorpion crawling across the forest floor, probably finding a place to sleep. In a flash, Martha caught it, grinning slightly. A natural born hunteress, which is the best thing you could be as a vampire. "You sure do like your scorpions," I told her. I for one don't really care for them. I prefer fresh blood from a mouse, or baked lizard fingers with potatoes (though the occasion has to be special for those since there aren't too many lizards around our home).

"Of course I do," Martha replied, "especially when Agatha mixes a pot of chocolate to dip them in." I had to chuckle at my sister. I suppose nearly two decades of an age difference gives the older sibling more of an appetite. She then lowered it in her mouth, and started munching away, quickly killing the animal. It wasn't that cruel, at least it was a quick death, but even so Mother would've protested.

"Don't eat your food while it's still living," I quoted, making Martha laugh.

"She's just trying to help," Martha replied, "even if she goes a bit overboard sometimes. When you're young ladies, manners are key things to learn."

I let myself slump slightly, rolling my eyes. Manners are the last thing one needs to learn.

After a while, the freedom of the forest gets to us, and we start playing. Martha is the first to start, quickening her pace and darting in between the trees. I soon get caught up in the excitement and join her. We're racing through the forest, enjoying the cool grass and the wind in our hair. But, as luck would have it, I end up running right into a huge mud puddle. The brown goop covered my feet completely, and it splashed on the lower half of my dress.

I groan, knowing what it means. Another scolding from Mother. "Looks like fun to me," I hear Martha say, followed by the 'squish-squish' of another pair of feet.

"You know Mother will have a fit when she sees us," I tell her.

"We can have Agatha cast a clean spell on us before Mother even sees us," she replied, "and even if she couldn't, doesn't the mud feel nice on your feet?"

I think for a moment, wiggling my toes in the mud. It does feel nice, especially after all the running we had done. It was cold, but it didn't chill you to the bone like cold rain or snow. It was almost relaxing. "I suppose it does," I finally reply.

"Well then, it's worth it to me," Martha told me with a smile. She always has a way of looking on the bright side. She can be sophisticated and lady-like around company, turn around and be a strong capable hunter, and then easily go to being care-free and child-like. I envy her a little, but it's hard when you have the perfect sister, and a great friend.

After a few more moments, we start to head back. As we walk, blades of grass start to stick to our feet, and the mud becomes more dry. I grimace. "I think I figured out why Mother doesn't like mud," I comment. Martha just giggles.

It's past sunrise now. I can hear chicken calls and bells from the human village, and though there are still clouds, it is brighter outside. I am practically falling asleep writing this, so I will end my entry here.

()()()()()()

It looks like the rainy season is finally ending, but that brings a whole new set of problems. Longer days, shorter nights, a vampire's least favorite time of the year.

When the sun finally started to set, I snuck out. I wanted to practice hunting a little more, I wasn't planning on sitting at home all night like Mother. I could take care of myself.

The forest was blanketed with plenty of shadows from the branches, so I didn't have to worry about being burned. I steadied my footsteps, making them so light I was nearly floating off the ground. I kept my ears open, listening for the crunch of a leaf, or a squeak of a creature. Once I could figure out where my prey was, catching it would be simple.

After a few moments, I heard a lot of leaves crunch. Whatever the creature was, it was running fast. I dashed through the darkening forest, until I reached the source of the noise and stopped just a few feet behind it.

A boy. It was a human boy. He had messy black hair, and his clothing was simple and slightly dirty. It looked like he was trying to catch something. Flies? Moths? Looking closer, I could see that he was trying to catch fireflies. Did he not know fireflies would come to you if you simply offer food? Then again, he was a human.

Father warned me about humans. Only a few monsters had met with humans, and it hadn't ended well. But, this was just a small boy, and a dense looking one at that. And yet, I couldn't help but be curious.

The boy jumped up and tried to catch a lone fireflies hovering above him while the others scattered. Of course he missed it. "Drat!" he said, pouting.

"Well, wouldn't you fly away if someone were trying to catch you?" I finally said. The boy turned around so fast I thought he might injure himself. "I didn't know anyone else came out here," he said, "But I've not seen you around the village before. Are you homeless?"

"No," I replied, slightly offended, "I have a fine home."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad," the boy apologized, giving me a pair of bluish-greenish pouty bat eyes. He looked pretty young. To the naive eye, we would look the same age, but I doubt he was seventy five years old. "My name's Zachariah."

I pursed my lips. "My name is Genevieve." He seemed to like my name because he smiled at me.

"Would you like to catch fireflies with me?" he asked. I shook my head.

"There's no need to catch them," I told Zachariah, "If you're patient, and offer them a little food, they'll come to you. Like I stated before, would you come to someone trying to catch you?"

"I suppose not," the boy replied as he sat down on the ground. Figuring I should do more than stand, I sat down next to him. The ground was mostly covered in grass, so I didn't have to worry about Mother throwing a fit about a dirty dress.

It turns out Zachariah had the personality of a yapping werewolf pup. Once he started talking about something, he wouldn't stop. He told stories of his village and his family and friends. Once that was done, he told humorous stories that his friends had told him, or events that he saw with his own eyes. While annoying at first, he was entertaining. One of his stories made me laugh so much, he noticed my fangs.

"Your teeth," he said, surprised, "They're sharp."

"Not all of them," I corrected, "just four. Why, do you have an issue with them?" Zachariah quickly shook his head.

"No, in fact, I think they're pretty neat." Neat? They were pretty normal vampire teeth, probably not even that sharp, being my baby fangs. But, I gave a small smile at the compliment.

"I should be heading home," I told him as I stood up.

"It is getting late," Zachariah said. Late for a human I suppose. "Do you think we could play again sometime, Genevieve?"

I thought for a moment, and gave him a small smile. "Perhaps," I said playfully, "After all, this was fun." Zach (that's what I've decided to call him, since my name is usually shortened to Eve - Martha's idea) smiled back, and we said our farewells.

I decided to not mention him to Mother and Father. I haven't even said anything to Martha. After all, we've only seen each other once. Hopefully after a few more visits, we can become good friends.

()()()()()()()()

I cannot believe it. I almost didn't want to write this down, so I could forget my foolishness. But perhaps it is better to remember, so I never forget this lesson.

It had been two nights since I talked with Zach. I thought two nights would be enough of a wait. I was actually a little anxious to see him. As soon as the sun was low enough, I dashed out of the house and to the exact spot where he was two nights prior. I waited, but no one came. The sun was soon completely down, and I knew most humans stayed in their homes at night.

'What could be keeping him?' I wondered, 'Did I wait too long?' Curious, I headed towards the village. A small peek wouldn't hurt, and maybe I would run into him along the way. Transforming into a bat, I flew through the trees, and landed on a branch that was right on the edge of the forest. Looking over the town, I saw a warm light coming from the center. Was there a celebration going on? Perhaps that was where my friend was. It was probably a good thing I was so naive, otherwise I would have never known.

A crowd of villagers surrounded one man who was standing on top of a wooden platform. They were yelling questions at him, and some were holding torches. At the time, I thought that maybe he was a criminal about to receive his punishment. But he was only an evil towards monsters.

"My friends, please calm yourselves!" He shouted in a commanding yet compassionate voice, "In these times of great danger, we must stand strong. I have heard of these creatures time and time again, living in the shadows and striking in secret! And now I hear from not only the villagers, but my own son Zachariah, that there is a vampire living among us!"

My eyes widened, my breath caught in my throat. The boy, he had said I was a danger, a creature? The man continued, saying how he was going to destroy every vampire he could find, and encouraged the entire village to follow his lead. I had seen enough. Blinking away whatever tears that were in my eyes, I flew straight home and told Mother and Father the whole story.

They didn't scold me, as much as I deserved it. 'You wouldn't have known, love,' Father said to me as he ran his hand gently through my long hair, 'It isn't your fault. This is just human nature, something you were not yet exposed to. But I assure you, our home is well hidden, and your mother, Agatha and I are strong to protect you and your sister. I promise, everything will be well.'

He and Mother spoke these words of reassurance to me, but they bounced off like a leather ball against the wall. When I entered my room, Martha was waiting for me. She had sadness in her eyes, and in moments, I was wrapped in her arms. Like Mother and Father, she told me it wasn't my fault, and that I had nothing to be ashamed of. While I ignored most of this, I did feel a little better.

It is morning now, and I have finished writing. I am not planning on leaving my house, or my room, for a while.

()()()()()()()()()

Our home was attacked last night. Angry villagers were pounding at our doors. We didn't waste time packing anything, we knew anyone we stayed with would be more than willing to offer clothes or other necessities. We simply grabbed a bit of cash (I quickly grabbed this diary and hid it in my pocket) and flew out the back window. Agatha wasn't home at the time, she had left a couple nights ago to visit family. I hope she is okay.

Gunshots followed us, but even with all the trees and stray branches acting as obstacles, we were able to dodge most of them. One bullet nicked Father in the wing, but it will heal soon enough. I was the furthest behind, making me feel as if I were being a burden. But Mother and Martha would sometimes slow down and fly next to me while Father led us on.

It is morning now, and we are hiding in a cave, in a part of the forest not I or Martha have seen before, but Father has hunted here plenty of times. I am glad to be away from that village. I hope I never have to see their faces again.

()()()()()()()()()

It's hard to see what I'm writing, and I'm sure my tears will smear some of this, but I have to write this down.

Two nights ago, we made it to another village where there were a couple packs of werewolves nearby. But, unfortunately, they were already on high alert for monsters. We could smell garlic around the town, and while it wouldn't harm us unless we ate it, it was still a bitter smell that we hated.

Nevertheless, we were able to locate the pack and they happily took us in. A nice couple with a litter of seven, and three male wolves that were friends of the family. Their children weren't pups anymore (if they stood on their back legs they were as tall as me), but they still acted like children. It was fun, we chased each other around and watch some of the older werewolf siblings wrestle. Their mother, Winnipeg, made a lamb stew with plenty of side dishes to go around. It seemed like fate was on our side.

But Fate tends to take a turn, just when you're expecting life to keep going straight. That man must have told his followers that vampires get burned in the sunlight, because they came as soon as the sun was up. I was in such a deep sleep, I would have surely died if it weren't for Martha waking me up.

As the wolves abandoned the cave, ready to fight if necessary, Father spoke to us. He told us to run, and that he and the wolves would hold them off so they wouldn't follow. He stayed in the back of the cave while the wolves surrounded it so the humans had nowhere to go. I couldn't help but cry, making sure they were at least silent tears. As the humans came closer, we dashed into the hazardous sunlight.

It burnt my skin, causing more tears to fall, but I stayed strong. I could hear the shouts of humans, and the roars of the wolves and Father. But I didn't look back, I just kept running, hoping that Mother and Martha were still behind me.

When we deemed it was safe to rest, my skin was red and burning. Looking at my sister and mother, they were the same and their eyes were just as moist as mine. We held each other for a few moments, and then transformed into our bat forms.

"We can hide in the trees," Mother told us, "and at sunset, we will be healed enough to fly." So, that is what we did. We slept the rest of the day, and as soon as the shade from underneath the tree stretched out to the rest of the forest, we took flight. When the moon rose, we followed its lead and flew above the trees.

I am now sitting safely in a home belonging to a trio of skeletons, two women and a man who is a brother to one of them, I can't remember which one. We are just like them. My family, we are a trio now. Missing a member, never to see him again. But I will still admire Father for what he did, and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.

()()()()()()()

Great news today! Agatha's returned! When she heard what happen, she flew around asking every monster in the area where we were. It's so nice to see a friendly face. Of course, our happiness muted when we told her what happened to Father, but after grieving for an appropriate amount of time, we knew Father would want us to celebrate. We felt a little more whole now.

()()()()()()()

I cannot believe I've been so forgetful in my diary entries, barely writing at all. Then again, not much has happened, until today that is.

It has been nearly thirty years since we left home. We were able to find a new home however, a small little stone cottage by the mountains. A yeti was selling it so he could move to colder land, and we happily accepted it. Since then, life has been simple, but pleasant.

Martha and I are closer than ever. We are becoming teenagers, and soon young ladies, but with her around we always seem to have a little child wonder left. Agatha encourages this. "A young spirit keeps an old witch running," she told us, "Why do you think I'm older than dirt?" We had a good laugh at that.

Martha and I usually spend our nights hunting (when its our turn), flying, reading from our own personal library, or simply talking. Martha has taken to drawings and sketches, drawing in a book similar to my journal. She's really good, and she's always offering to draw something for me or Mother or Agatha.

Sometimes she'll encourage me to a race or a climb up the mountain. One day, on the first snow that season, Martha threw a snowball through my roof. I could actually feel my eyes turning red, and I jumped out and started creating my own 'ammo'. A few yetis and mountain trolls joined our fight. It ended up being a lot of fun, even if we had to sleep by the fireplace that morning.

Mother and I have become closer as well. She still picks on small things like manners around company and looking presentable (despite the fact that we don't have many visits). But, we get along better, and she is a little less stern. Sometimes though, she is sad, with the weight of losing Father still on her mind. When the weight gets too heavy, I let her hold me for as long as she needs to. Afterwards, we drink tea or eat a snack and talk, with the conversation often ending with her smiling. Martha does this too. After all, it is the least we can do.

Overall, life has been good. But, outside our cottage, the number of monsters being hunted by humans is increasing every year. I despise them. They come into our home to murder us, and when we defend ourselves, we are depicted as the villains.

But there is hope. A Monster Council was just announced, said to help protect our kind all over the world. The newspaper says that it will be a way to not only protect monsters, but to unite us as well. If a group of monsters is discovered, the council will work quickly and efficiently to not only get them somewhere safe, but keep humans off their trail as well.

They have been trying to get one started for years, and finally it's happening. There was a quote from one of the members that stuck out at me. "Even in times of doubt and uncertainty, we have each other, and that's all we can rely on."

I want to be apart of the council, so I can help families similar to my own, and other monsters who are forced to run from their own homes. I promise, I _will_ be apart of the Monster council.

()()()()()()()()

I've been able to get some books on monster history and law. If I'm going to be a council member, I must start preparing now.

While my family is supporting me, Martha says that I shouldn't overexert myself. I told her that she didn't have to worry. As for her, I'm not sure what she wants to do with her life. Come to think of it, she's been flying out more often, and not just when its her turn to hunt. I need to ask her about it sometime, but I shouldn't try to be too nosy. After all, she is the older sister, and she never tries to be nosy with me.

I'm going to go read a few more chapters before sunrise.

()()()()()()()()

Last night, I heard two more monsters who live west of us by the village were captured and killed. One of them was a gremlin we knew quite well, a good friend of the family and she was very close to Mother. While I mourn for more senseless deaths, I can't help but feel even more motivated to help my people.

()()()()()()()

Tonight was my one hundredth birthday, a very important birthday. I remember on Martha's 100th, Mother gave her a pink brooch, Agatha made her a fancy dress. I wasn't too interested in jewelry, and my style is very simple, so I knew my gifts wouldn't be exactly like hers. Around midnight, after a very delicious meal, I received my gifts. Mother gave me two new books, both full of short stories to read. Even I have to enjoy fiction sometimes. My second present was a wonderful cloak made by Agatha. For my third gift, I had to wait until it was nearly morning. Curious and slightly annoyed, I returned to my room to go to sleep and found Martha sitting on my bed.

"Am I going to receive my gift now, or are you going to make me stay up until noon?" I asked a bit curtly. Martha just simply smiled.

"Just one more minute," she stated before transforming and flying out the window. Even more curious now, I sat down on the lid of my coffin and waited. It only took Martha a few moments to return, and before she re-entered, I could hear hooting and screeching. I saw her bat form fly into my room, and clasped tightly in her feet was a cage with an owl in it! A great horned owl to be exact.

Of all the presents in the world, this one had to be the most surprising. As soon as it looked at me, the owl stopped protesting. It just stared at me, looking just as curious as I probably was.

"Well, what do you think, Eve?" Martha asked, "He looks like a good owl, don't you think?"

"Well, other than looking like a normal owl, he looks strong and healthy," I replied, walking over to the cage, smiling slightly, "and, he does look sort of cute." He had smooth and soft looking black and brown feathers, and wide yellow eyes.

"I knew you would like him," Martha told me, giggling a little at my comment, "and, if that old cyclops isn't just telling old stories again, his great-great-great grandfather was one of the last phoenixes, so you may have a lifelong friend there."

The owl gave a small coo as I placed my hand by the cage. He turned his head at strange angles, such as owls do, and looked at my hand as well as myself. I wasn't sure what he thought of me, but if he wasn't protesting anymore or trying to get away from me, it must've been a good sign. We opened the owl's cage, and while he flew around the room, he never once tried to escape through the window.

"I'm glad you two are getting along," Martha stated, sitting down next to me on the floor as we watched our newest family member circle the room, "Besides, I assumed you would want some way to contact Mother and I while you're doing council work."

I smiled at her, and we shared a hug. Letting go, I gave a small laugh. "So this is what you were doing, leaving home practically every night, looking for an owl for me?"

Martha's smile faltered a bit. "Partially," she admitted. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she meant by that. As she continued, I learned that she had been exploring nearby areas, including human villages. I couldn't believe my ears!

We ended up having a small argument, myself arguing how dangerous it was and Martha saying how she wanted to see the world and make her own life, saying how she couldn't just stay in our old home with our small circle of friends (which was slowly shrinking as more monsters were moving to new homes. The mountains were becoming a more secluded place, even for monsters).

"You don't have to worry about me," Martha told me, "I can fly with my own two wings, and I promise to be careful."

"You better," I retorted, "Because if you do something stupid I'll take a stake to you myself." Martha laughed at that.

"Alright, deal." She wrapped an arm around me. "I promise, you won't have to say goodbye to anyone else." We shared another hug, and then said goodnight.

My new owl is back in his cage and fast asleep, quiet as a mouse. I think I'll call him Dunstan. Good Morning.

**Letters between Sisters**

Hello Dear Sister,

Have you missed me? I wish you would have agreed to a little vacation to the islands. You already know the Council loves you and will accept you as soon as you turn one hundred and forty. As Father always said, even the best hunters need time to relax their wings.

But, I did meet someone here. Or rather, ran into them. But I believe he's my zing, I just know it. He's charming, handsome, funny, and a bit awkward, but extremely sweet. I'm sure he would love to meet you, so there's another excuse to come visit! I swear I'm getting you out of that cottage one way or another!

Running out of room, so I'll just end this postcard here. Say hello to Agatha and Dunstan for me!

Your sister, Martha

()()()()()()()

Martha,

Your 'zing'? Haven't heard that word in a while, but it still sounds ridiculous. As long as you're happy I suppose. But be certain this man isn't just in it for the 'Island Romance' part. As for myself and Agatha, we have been doing fine. It's a bit quieter without Mother, but I know she is in a better place. Even if dying at the hands of an old monster illness is tragic, I'm still thankful she didn't share the same fate as Father.

By the way, I spend plenty of time outside the cottage thank you very much! How else do you think I get my meals? I just enjoy my own territory, nothing wrong with staying inside a comfort zone. But, I would enjoy it if you visited home after your island vacation.

Wishing safe travels,  
- Eve

()()()()()()()()

Eve,

Of course he isn't just in it for the island romance! In fact, he said he would love to come with me back home, and I don't believe he's leaving me anytime soon. Plan on us being there within three weeks, I'll be bring gifts and stories to share.

I cannot wait to see you, Eve. Until then.

- Martha

**From the Diary of Genevieve Lubode**

This has been an eventful few nights. For starters, I met Martha's 'zing'. His name is Vlad Dracula, and while I suppose he looks handsome enough, his nose reminds me of a hawk's beak. But, even so, he does seem to really love Martha. His eyes usually wandered over to her if he wasn't in the middle of a conversation or doing anything.

Martha was right when she said he could be a bit awkward. Sometimes if they sat too close, or if their hands touched, Vlad would move away but still smile at her.

Even so, Martha seems absolutely smitten by him, and Agatha likes him too (but then again, she likes everybody) When we were getting ready for bed (Agatha set up a guest coffin downstairs for Vlad to sleep in), I saw her in her room doodling in a book. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I could see tiny hearts and she was humming to herself.

"Someone has their head in the clouds tonight," I commented, looking over her shoulder to get a closer look at the picture, but Martha slammed the book shut before I could.

"Oh, I do not!" she said, trying to act angry but really being only slightly annoyed. I smirked at her. "Whatever you say, dear sister." A pillow hit me in the back of the head, and I threw it back. We both laughed, and Martha sat up, giving me room to sit down.

"You said you two kissed a few days ago, for the first time?" I asked.

"Well, I kissed him," Martha replied, "but he kissed me back, sooo..." She was swooning like a teenager. Even though I still couldn't understand this 'zing' concept (and still don't. Surely you can't just fall in love with a total stranger the moment you meet them, right?), I could tell my sister was in love, and I could sense a ring on her finger not too far off.

"As long as you two aren't too busy smooching to come visit," I started to say, smiling a little more sincerely now, "I'm happy for you." After all, she supported my dream and still is. We shared a hug, and I retreated back to my own room.

As for tonight, I've been getting to know Vlad a little more since Agatha and Martha went out for errands (she's like an aunt to us, so it doesn't surprise me how much they've missed each other). I have to say, it's easy to get him annoyed, and a bit fun too. He can be very entertaining to watch. But, we get along rather well.

"So, Vlad-y," I said to him just to see his reaction. I smiled at his pouting to the nickname. "Are you planning on asking my sister to be your wife?"

All annoyance left his face, and he smiled softly. "Yes, I am." He looked up slightly, as if remembering something. "Er- if that's alright with you and Agatha."

I stared him down, crossing my arms. "It's easy to see you two are infatuated with each other, and I am happy for you two. But I will make one thing clear, Count." I tried to sound as adult as possible, the way Mother or Father would sound in this situation. "If you hurt her, don't think won't try to give you the same amount of pain you gave her. In addition, make sure you don't make any stupid decisions that will affect her." My voice softened a little, almost absentmindedly. "She's one of the only family members I have left, and my only sister." I made my voice stern again. "So don't be a foolish husband."  
Vlad nodded. "Of course," he said. He was quiet for a moment before adding, "Martha was right about you. You are indeed a good sister." I let a small smile creep up on my face.

Perhaps it won't be too bad to have Vlad as a brother-in-law. That's all I need to write for now. Until next time...

**Part of a Newspaper Article pasted in Genevieve's Journal**

_The Monster Council, a group that just a few short decades ago, is already a rousing success. According to the numbers, this year has had the lowest number of monster hunts and murders since before the hunts began. According to the council, but sources as well, most humans have dismissed monster kind as legends, with no intention on hunting them anytime soon. This is of course good news, but the council isn't planning on wasting time on celebrating. The head of the Council had this to say: "We are simply doing what we set out to do, and just because we are succeeding does not mean we will let our backs be turned. Until these hunts have stopped completely, and monsters no longer have to live in fear, we do not plan on hosting a congratulatory party anytime soon". (More on Page 2)_

**More Letters Between Sisters**

Dear Martha,

I am glad you two have found a suitable home (and just in time too), but I can't help but worry that it's only a few miles away from humans. But, then again, you were always the best hunter, and I know you and Vlad will be able to defend yourselves, even when you are expecting. (By the way, I hope Dunstan was able to deliver my and Agatha's gifts) Speaking of which, what are you planning on naming him or her?

As for myself, the council has received my application. All I have to do now is wait, but it feels like hunting in a forest with little to no animals: absolutely tedious and frustrating. Oh well, if I have waited this long, I can wait longer.

With love,  
Eve

()()()()()()()()

_With this next letter, a picture is included. A small, yellow piece of paper with a sketch of a baby girl on it_

Dear Eve,

All three of us are doing fine. By the time we received your letter, Mavis had already been born, and everyone agrees she's absolutely perfect. I'm sending you a drawing of her so you can see for yourself, but it doesn't compare to the real thing (I hope you understand what I'm implying, your niece needs to meet her Auntie Eve)

Vlad has barely let her out of his arms, he loves her so much. I think he will be a wonderful father. As for myself, I would be lying if I told you I wasn't worried about how I will be as a mother, but I am up for the challenge.

I hear Mavis starting to wake up, duty calls.

Lots of love,  
Martha

()()()()()()()

Martha,

Thank goodness she didn't inherit Vlad's nose. But you're absolutely right, she is cute. She may have Vlad's hair, but she looks a lot like you when you were young. Perhaps I can visit you three, but it won't be for a few months.

The council hasn't officially inducted me in yet, but they are wanting me to come for an interview. Their work is serious, so I completely understand. But as soon as I return, I will start flying towards you, Vlad and Little Mavis... after stopping by home and making sure Dunstan hasn't left rat bones all over my bedroom floor again. Oh, and by the way, the old cyclops was right. He burned up and was reborn a few days ago, didn't even squawk or call out when it happened, so I suppose it wasn't too painful for him. But, he's just as happy as ever, so that's the important thing.

I look forward to meeting my niece (but I am not going to be called Auntie. Aunt Genevieve is fine, thank you)

Love,  
Eve

**From the Diary of Genevieve Lubode**

Martha is dead.

I'm not sure how long, but she's dead. When I returned home, Agatha told me what happened. She found out with a letter, but I didn't read it. I just transformed and flew. I didn't stop until I reached her home. A trip that should have taken several nights was accomplished in only three. I barely slept during the day, I was too numb.

When I arrived, the building that was once their home was covered in ash and blackened. There was no smoke, but I could still smell the fire that once burned. My sister was killed here, that was the only thought that ran through my mind.

As I walked closer, ash covered my feet. Looking down, a memory flashed in my mind. Of several decades ago, back at our first home. When humans were just starting to hunt us, and not as many lives were lost. When Father and Mother were alive, when Martha was alive, when our biggest worry was getting scolded for our feet and dress being covered in mud.

I felt myself break, and my cheeks were soon wet with tears. I wanted to scream, not caring who heard me and if they came baring pitchforks and torches. I let my body crumble to the ground as memories overflowed my mind. The feeling was nostalgic, I remembered feeling it when Father was killed. Only now, it was ten times as powerful, and as agonizing.

When my tears finally started to subside, I looked over at the village. It was dark, with only a few stray flames to light the way. They were all asleep, the men of the town praising themselves, not caring about the life they've taken. Like every murderer, like every human.

Even if I could have stopped myself, I wouldn't. I let my body turn into a cloud of smoke, and I moved to the village. My work was finished in no time, and then I left. I didn't stay to listen to the cries or screams, I didn't need to. Besides, I couldn't let anyone catch me. Not now.

This will be my last journal entry. I am a new person now, and this diary is only memories of an old life. Even if one is not burned by the flames themselves, a new heart and mind will still rise from the ashes of any fire.

**A Letter from Vlad Dracula to Genevieve Lubode (Unopened by her)**

Hello Genevieve,

I will not mix words, but I know how much you are hurting. It has only been a month, but I still feel like it has been an eternity. Even so, I would like to invite you to stay with Mavis and I, if you need to. We have plenty of room, and in a couple years, the hotel I am building will be open, which you are also invited to stay at as long as you need. I just want to offer as much support as I can.

Sincerely,  
Dracula

**An article pasted in Genevieve's Journal, and is the last page in her journal**

_We welcome a new member of the Monster Council today. With a unanimous vote, Lady Genevieve Lubode was inducted into the council last night. She is the youngest member to date, but her title as the only remaining member of the Lubode family (which you can read about on page 3), as well as her reputation, skill and knowledge, make her a clear choice to be a member. When asked what her goal was as part of the council, her reply was this: "I only want to protect my people, like every other member. But, I will do what ever it takes, and you can be certain no human will stand in my way." _

**And that is the story of Eve. I always planned on writing this chapter this way. In the original Dracula story, the entire story is told with journal entries by the characters, letters, and newspaper articles. I thought it would be a unique way to tell Eve's story, and now we are officially nearing the climax of the story. There are only probably a few chapters left, and then this story is done. It's almost hard to believe, but I'm still hoping to be inspired to write more HT fanfics when this one is done :)**

**Being the longest chapter so far, I'm pretty drained. I've worked on it throughout the week, and I hope it's good. I guess I'll find out soon enough. ****Anyways, please review and Happy Valentines Day. See you guys in the next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19

Dracula finished telling the couple everything he knew, which had been told to him by his late wife. Of course he didn't know every single detail of the vampiress' life, but he knew the big parts. The parts that made Eve into the woman she was today.

"I can't believe it," Mavis finally said, "She went through all of that, and she's still strong enough to keep going." The girl wrapped her arms around her knees. 'Eve was right,' she thought, 'I don't know what it's truly like to lose someone. I can't imagine what it would be like.'

"And she went through all of it alone," Johnny added, his voice a bit melancholy. The two vampires looked at him. "I mean, sure she's apart of the monster council, and she has her owl, but after..." It was a bit hard for him to get the name out, "Martha, it sounded like she never wanted to get close to anyone else."

As this fact dawned on them, Dracula and Mavis couldn't help but feel even more sorry for Eve. She had lost her entire family, and in an attempt to not get hurt again, she shut herself out from the world. 'She must be pretty lonely,' Mavis thought, wishing Eve were back so she could apologize for everything.

"I should have done more." The couple turned towards Dracula. "All I did was send one letter," he said, "I should have done more to help, and then maybe..." He sighed.

"It's alright, Drac," Johnny told him as he and Mavis moved closer to the Count, "It was a rough time for you too."

"Yeah," Mavis added, "You can't blame yourself."

Dracula still couldn't help but do just that. "I knew she blamed me for what happened, I wouldn't stop blaming myself." He gave a small laugh, and looked at his daughter with misty eyes. "In fact, if it wasn't for you, Mavy, I don't know what I would have done."

Thinking back to those first few years without his wife, there were nights where his heart ached so much, he almost wanted to find some random village and let some mob end it all. There were times when he was so angry, he wanted nothing more than to destroy every human he could find. But, whenever his emotions ran rampant and his mind and heart were falling into darkness, he would hear a cry or a giggle. He would see his little ghoul run past him, or pull on his cape. His Mavis was still there, offering support in her own innocent way and slowly bringing light back into his life.

His friends were a big help too, visiting as often as they could and helping in whatever way. Maybe that's why he wasn't as cold and bitter as Eve, despite losing the same person. If he had been a little more persistent, more willing to leave his home to check on here, would it have made a difference.

'Please forgive me, Martha,' Dracula thought as Mavis hugged her father tightly.

It took awhile for the three to leave the lobby, the story had taken quite a toll on them. But, there was still the court date in only three days, something they couldn't avoid talking about.

"We will be given the chance to plead our case," Dracula told them as they ate a light lunch in the now-abandoned-and-worn dining room, "They will probably ask me questions mostly since I am the owner, making sure that I didn't do anything to lure the humans here and that I made sure all my guests were safe.

"And if you give them the right answers?" Mavis asked.

"Then I don't get in trouble," Dracula answered, "but the fate of the hotel is another story."

"Eve said that we'll have a chance to maybe change their minds," Johnny stated, "So, even if it's a long shot, we might still be able to open this place back up."

"But the hotel isn't the only thing the council will want to talk about," Dracula retorted.

"He's right," Mavis added, "If we even want to try and get the hotel to stay open, we'll probably have to talk about the whole human-monster debate too." The two words were getting closer. It wasn't just a few monsters blending in with the crowd, more and more humans were learning the truth. If the council was all about keeping monsters safe, they wouldn't let it go another step further until a plan was thought up to keep both worlds safe.

"They may take it farther than that," Dracula said. He looked specifically at Johnny. "Because you're a human, they may try to blame you for what happened."

"What?" Mavis said in disbelief, "but, that doesn't even make any sense, not to mention it would be totally unfair!"

"I know, sweetheart," Drac replied, "but all we can do is try and convince them it wasn't him." Of course, there was one other option. But, after what they learned, plus the fact that Eve made sure that the monsters would have time to escape and cover their tracks, Johnny and Mavis both decided not to reveal who really called the reporters.

"Drac," Johnny said, "Do you think there's a chance, they'll... remind me of my promise?"

Dracula gave the young man a confused look for a moment, but then remembered the Q&A only a little over than week ago.

_'I'll let Drac erase my mind. I don't want anyone getting hurt. If worse comes to worse, I'll forget.'_

In other words, 'Would they make me forget?'

Dracula looked at his daughter, who of course looked worried, and then back at Jonathan. Even though he didn't to make it seem one hundred percent certain, as if he were a criminal waiting for his execution, he also knew the young man wouldn't want a completely sugar coated or fake answer.

"If we do a good job, no," the vampire finally replied, trying to sound as positive as possible.

"Well, that's all the encouragement I need," Johnny said with a small smile, getting a tiny chuckle out of the two vampires. If positive thinking led to positive outcomes, it was Johnny's personal goal to keep the mood light the best he could.

For the rest of their meal, they steered clear of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours and what was happening soon. Instead, Mavis and Johnny shared what had happened since the last time Mavis and Drac had talked. The night in LA, the movies they had watched, anything that would be fun to talk about or listen to.

After lunch, the trio felt better, but were exhausted. "We'll sleep down in the secret tunnels," Dracula told them, "In case the spell wears off early, that way if we hear anyone coming we can escape. Tonight, we'll leave and probably find somewhere to sleep for the next three days." There were plenty of caves and shady areas that would be perfect homes for two bats. But for a human...

"Jonathan, would you and Mavis want to try and find a hotel in the vil- er, city to stay at?"

"Nah, I've got a tent," Johnny replied. He thought for a moment, glancing at the full backpack behind him. "At least I think I do, I should... uh, yeah it's somewhere in here, so I'm good!"

Dracula nodded, and opened the secret entrance. As they walked, Johnny made sure to remember all the turns they took and any details along the way.

The cement was hard and cold, and the blankets Johnny had packed weren't doing anyone any favors, but the three still found themselves slowly falling asleep.

"Johnny," Mavis said quietly. The redhead looked over at her. "Yeah May?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Even if, worse comes to worse, I won't let them make you leave, or forget."

"Mavis..." Johnny started to say, but Mavis wouldn't let him.

"Johnny, I know you want to keep me and all the others safe and you want to help but," She paused for a moment, "I can't imagine being without you." Her eyes started filling with tears but she ignored them.

"I can't imagine never being able to take a trip with you, or see your family again," Mavis continued, "Knowing I could never talk to you or hug you or kiss you because you wouldn't even know who I was!" It was getting hard to keep her voice quiet, but there was more to say. "You're my best friend, my zing!" She gave a tearful smile. "As long as I have you and Dad and all our friends, I'll be fine. They can, take away our hotel, make it so humans and monsters never meet, lock me up in a tower for the rest of my life! But, as long as I have my family and you by my side, I'll be happy."

Johnny was speechless. No one had ever said something like that to him before, and at the same time, it was all the stuff he would want to say to her. All he could really say was a mumbled "Me too," before the two shared a kiss. They absentmindedly moved closer to each other as they continued kissing, never wanting to leave the other's side.

When their lips separated, Johnny wiped away a tear that was on Mavis' cheek. Mavis let her head rest on his shoulder blade. She gave him a soft smile.

"I love you, Johnny," she said quietly, but that didn't take any emotion or meaning away from it, "forever."

"I love you too," Johnny replied, reaching for Mavis' hand and holding it tight.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but at some point while they slept, Johnny turned over and slept in some random position while Mavis laid flat on her back, like always. This was a good thing too, otherwise Johnny never would have been able to go on with his plan.

'First things first,' he thought, turning on his cell phone. He had received several missed calls and texts, but he knew his family would understand if he couldn't call or reply back. The time read 6:35 PM, it was probably around sunset. That meant not too many people would still be trying to get into the castle, they would just wait until morning.

'Okay.' Johnny unzipped the front pocket of his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper that was meant for writing down directions or writing letters, and a pen. 'Good thing some parts of this thing are still organized.' Using his phone as a small lamp, Johnny wrote a quick note:

_Mavis & Drac,_

_I had to go talk to someone. Don't worry, I'll be careful and I promise to be back before we leave_

_- Johnny_

'I hope I don't worry them,' Johnny thought to himself before getting an idea. Zipping the supplies back into his bag, he left it on the cold floor. 'If I leave my backpack, then they'll know I'm coming back,' he thought.

With that, Johnny placed the note next to Mavis and placed a small rock on top of it to keep it in place. He gave Mavis a soft, light kiss on the cheek and gave his bag a small pat before heading down the long dark tunnel, with the white light of his phone being the only source of light.

()()()()()()()()

Once outside, he activated the hidden tunnel that led right into the forest. The air was a bit thick, as if it had tried to rain but never did. Even so, the sun was low enough to be below the clouds, giving the sky and the rest of the world outside the hotel a warm orange glow. After sleeping on cold cement, Johnny couldn't help but try and soak in the warmth.

Once he stretched a little and was more wide awake, he looked around. No engine sounds, no people talking. Just as he thought, he was the only human there. "Okay," Johnny smiled as he started walking into the forest.

"Man, this place sure does look different during the day," he commented, remembering the first time he walked through the forest. A giant spiderweb hung down from a tree, and he could hear the rustling of leaves from above him, followed by the chittering of creatures. But he continued smiling. "Still creepy-cool though."

But he wasn't there for sight seeing. He had a vampire to find.

For the next half hour or so, Johnny searched high and low. He mostly focused on trees. He would look behind every tree, and up at every tree branch. Sometimes, if he managed to find a bat hanging upside down on a branch, he would try to figure out if it was Eve. Whether or not the bat was in sunlight, if it awake (towards the beginning of his search, Johnny learned the hard way not to wake a bat if its sleeping, and decided not to make that mistake again), and if it was awake, could it talk back?

But, after several perfectly normal bats, Johnny had zero clues on where to find that bat he was looking for. Letting out a sigh, he sat down at the base of a tree. 'This could maybe take longer than I thought,' he thought, grimacing at how sweaty the heavy air was making him. 'Gross'. But he couldn't stop just after a little walking, or a little sweat, or a few bat scratches.

"Okay," Johnny said to himself, "If I was a vampire, who was trying to hide from humans, where would I hide?" Dracula's story said that when Eve and her family had to hide, they hid in the trees. But he couldn't check every single tree in the forest. "Besides, she would have to be near the hotel, right?" So, no searching by the edges of the forest.

"Come on... think!" The more Johnny thought about it, a vampire could hide anywhere really... but an owl couldn't! "That's it!"

Getting back on his feet, Johnny now decided to focus on the ground rather than the trees. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. Running over to it, he picked it up and held it up to his face: a soft, dark colored owl feather. "Awesome!"

Walking forward, he soon found another. After ten more minutes, he found another. "I've gotta be getting close!" Johnny said, picking up the newly found feather. It was time to go back to his first question: where could a vampire, and her pet owl, hide?

"If it's not the trees..." Johnny said, picking up his pace, "then maybe..."

The sound of running water soon entered his ears. He remembered Mavis saying that there was a river somewhere in the forest. 'Everyone needs water, especially when they're hiding out.' Sprinting now, the redhead ran towards the flowing river.

"Please be a giant tree with, like, a giant hole in it," he hoped, "or a cabin, or-!"

He reached the river, and just across it, was a small, dark cave. "Or, that works too."

The water was cold, but that fine with him. Plus he was at a part of the river where it was only a foot deep. So, after crossing the river, he peeked inside the cave. "Hello!" he called out.

His voice echoed off the walls, and while no one answered him, it did let him know that the cave was bigger on the inside. Taking out his phone, Johnny put it into flashlight mode. He only had a third of a battery left, so hopefully the cave wasn't too big.

Johnny walked deeper into the cave, but only saw rocks and earth. No supplies, no owl cages, not even another feather. 'But she has to be here!' Johnny thought, 'I mean, if I was hiding out somewhere to spy on someone, this would be perfect!' He wasn't going to leave until he explored the whole cave.

"Hello!" he called out again, "I just wanna talk! If there's anyone in here, you can come out!" Still no answer, but he kept walking. Soon, the light of his cell phone no longer shone through dark, it simply revealed a dead end.

"Aww, you've gotta be kidding me!" Johnny shouted, pretty much at the wall only a few feet away from him, "She's not here?" He thought for a moment. "Wait! Maybe there's just a secret entrance like at the hotel!" He started walking forward again, stretching out his other arm and preparing to look for a secret button or switch, when his feet fell out from under him.

It was only a small hill, maybe a four or five foot ramp, but it still caught him off guard and made Johnny land flat on his butt. "Oww." Picking his phone off the ground, he pointed it around the room.

It was a hollowed out place underneath the cave, about the size of a normal living room. It was circular, and there were was a thin blanket and some burnt wood that was once a fire. He grinned. "Gotta love secret rooms!"

Looking around some more, he was soon staring right into a pair of angry yellow eyes. "Oh, hey buddy," he greeted with a small wave. Dunstan continued glaring.

"Okay, I know this looks bad," Johnny said as he walked towards the animal, "but trust me, I'm here for a good reason." Dunstan's expression never changed. "I just want to talk to Eve, okay." Getting an idea, he reached into his pocket. "Here."

He placed the three feathers on the ground in front of the owl. "I found them on the way here. Figured you wouldn't want me to keep them, they are still yours." While Dunstan's face never changed, and he still remained stoic and silent, his eyes no longer seemed as defensive.

Johnny smiled at the bird. "You know, I've always thought owls were cool." Slowly, he lifted his hand and moved it towards Dunstan. He wasn't afraid at all, he just want to show that he was a good guy. But, as his hand got closer, just as the tips of his fingers touched Dunstan's feathers, a hand grabbed Johnny by the shoulder, and threw him across the room.

Johnny screamed, more in surprise than actually being hurt. The cell phone fell out of his hands and clattered to the ground floor. He heard a small crack, and knew his phone was probably broken, either by the fall or the person who threw him.

"You humans never learn," a voice stated, icy and angry. A small flame came out of nowhere, so close to Johnny that it made him quickly back up until he hit the wall behind him. His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his chest hammering away. "Oh my god, oh my god," he breathed as the figure came into view.

Eve glared at him. "You always trespass, never thinking of anyone but yourselves," she growled, "so tell me, you have a lot of nerve coming in here. What do you have to say that won't make me kill you where you sit."

Johnny paled. All he could think about was the first time he had met Eve. How deadly she could be, how much spite she had towards him, her sharp nails on his chest. It would be foolish to believe that she wouldn't take the chance to kill him as soon as she had it, and this time Drac and the other monsters weren't around the corner to stop her. All of this made it hard for him to even remember what he came here for in the first place.

"I, I," Johnny stuttered. Eve didn't look too impressed. If anything, she looked angrier.

'Okay, just relax,' Johnny told himself, 'Don't be scared. Humans freaking out is what lead to all of this in the first place! Just, calm down and show her that you want to be on the same side!'

He took a breath, and stood up. "I just wanted to talk," Johnny told her, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Talk?" Eve repeated.

"Yes, I just wanted to talk," Johnny replied, "and, since I knew you were probably hiding somewhere in the forest, I came to look for you. I'm sorry for trespassing, but-"

"I don't talk to humans," Eve interrupted, "I already know what you are here to do. To try and convince me to vote in your favor three days from now, to let my people be put in danger just because you and Dracula and the other guests at the hotel are naive enough to think that nothing will go wrong. You only care about your life, and you only want to talk to me because I am one of the seven now in control of it.

"Because unfortunately it's not in my favor to do so, I will let you go," she continued, not sounding too happy about it, "but, if I see you anywhere near me again, you will become my next meal." She glared even harder, mentally burning holes right through him. But Johnny didn't even flinch. "Get out, now."

"I'm sorry, but, I have to talk to you," Johnny replied. He could hear her growl, and he knew that this was crazy. But he had to do this. "I promise, once I've said what I need to, I'll leave. I won't come back, and I won't even tell Drac or Mavis where you are. I promise, just please, I really want to talk to you about some things."

Eve didn't say anything at first. The two looked at each other in silence while Dunstan silently looked back and forth between the two, wondering who would speak first.

"You will not waste my entire night," Eve finally said, "so, I advice you not to ramble. I promise to hear you speak, but I do not promise to listen."

At least she was going to let him try and talk to her. "Thank you," Johnny said, giving her a small smile. He didn't expect it to be returned, but that didn't matter.

He was in the lion's den now, all he had to do was survive, and perhaps change the future in the process.

**Okay, so ideas kept poking me and I just had to start writing the new chapter even though writing the last one made me exhausted. Although this one was a little more of a filler chapter, I hope you still enjoyed it :) I tried to add just a little humor and lightheartedness to the chapter since it mostly featured Johnny, but I also didn't want to write off the seriousness of the last chapter. It was a bit of a balancing act for me, and I hope it came out well. **

**I want to quickly thank Lilmommy0911 for pointing out another error I missed. In the last diary entry, I mixed up a couple names (I must have read that section a dozen times and I didn't even notice it! Definitely no more publishing a chapter that's so late at night, I can't even proofread right), but it's fixed now. Thanks again!**

**Also, over THREE HUNDRED reviews! Wasn't it only over two hundred a couple weeks ago? Seriously, thank you guys so much! I wouldn't have gotten this far without all of your support! Anyway, hope you all have a nice three day weekend, and I'll see you in the next chapter! **


	20. Chapter 20

Since there wasn't anywhere to sit, Johnny just leaned against the wall of the cave. Not too much, to still let Eve know he was serious, but just enough so that he could relax a bit.

"Okay," Johnny said, mostly to himself. He looked up at the vampiress, who was getting more annoyed by the second. "I get it."

"Get what?" Eve asked, though her tone made it sound more like a command.

"That you don't like humans. And that's fine, I'm not going to try and change that. I - I know what happened to you. Drac told me and Mavis everything." Something flickered in Eve's eyes, but she didn't say anything, so Johnny took that as a cue to continue.

"I have six brothers of my own. My family means, everything to me. And, I can't say I wouldn't feel the same way if the same thing happened to me. So, I'm not here to say you are wrong, because really, I don't think you are."

Eve looked slightly surprised, but again stayed silent. "I also wanted to say, I'm sorry. For all the things humans did to you and your family." Eve raised an eyebrow. "I know, I had nothing to do with it and that it was centuries ago, but I am a human. And, I just thought you would like to hear it." He gave the vampiress a slight smile, but it wasn't returned.

"I don't see what any of this has to do with your present situation," Eve questioned, "If you simply came here to apologize and tell me things I already know, then you are wasting both of our time."

"Actually, I did come here to say one more thing," Johnny spoke up.

Eve looked at him with sharp eyes. "Well, what is it?" It was obvious he was running out of time, and he knew he either need to say what he had to say fast, or get kicked out before he could even finish.

"It's not Drac's fault. Or Mavis'." Both of them were silent for a moment, just looking at each other. Johnny gave a small laugh. "I guess you were right, I did come here asking for something, just not for me."

He became serious once again. "Like I said, you aren't wrong. And, if you or the council think the monster world isn't ready to meet humans and might not ever be, I can accept that. But please, don't punish my friends, they haven't done anything wrong."

Again, Eve looked slightly surprised, but quickly went back to her normal composure. "You still want to humans and monsters to meet?"

Johnny paused for a moment, just to make sure he didn't accidentally say something stupid - which was a mistake he couldn't afford to make. "I would love it if my family and friends could meet the awesome monsters I was lucky enough to meet. I think it would be great if monsters didn't have to worry about hiding and humans didn't have to be afraid of old, stupid stories that aren't even true. And, I know a lot of monsters and humans would agree with me."

Johnny smiled slightly. "Mavis and I are going to try and convince the council to make it happen. But, if we can't, then we aren't going to try and force you to." He looked Eve straight in the eye. "Like I said, no matter what the outcome is, I just don't want Drac and Mavis to get in trouble."

"You seem to care so much about them," Eve commented. Johnny noticed that she said 'seemed'. In other words, she still didn't believe it wasn't just an act. "But, what will you give me to persuade me not to punish Dracula. After all, it was his hotel. If I remember the story you told at the Q&A, it was he that, albeit accidentally, led you to the hotel and started all this. The guests, the hotel and anything that happens to it are his responsibility. So, what will you give up to persuade me not to give punishment where punishment is due?"

Eve wasn't expecting much. Whatever cash he had, or a valuable he somehow got his hands on. Whatever he said, she wouldn't accept it. He was a human. In her opinion, the only thing of worth he had to offer was his life. Because the less humans around, the better.

But, the human must have had a talent for surprising people, because for the third time that night, Johnny said something that surprised her. This time however, he didn't even take a moment to think about it.

"What about me?" he asked.

"You?" Eve repeated. Was he actually...?

"I can promise, to stay away from monsters." As much as he hated it, it didn't matter to Johnny. "I won't try to talk with them, or look for them. If Drac's allowed to open up another hotel, I won't try to find it. I won't even try to say hi to Drac! If Mavis feels homesick, she can visit while I stay far away until she comes back. I would stay out of the monster world for good."

Eve glared at him. "You're already lying to me." Johnny looked at her, confused. "If you continue having contact with Mavis, you are still acknowledging the monster world, and putting a monster in danger."

Johnny's face fell a little. "Oh, I guess you're right." He looked back up at her. "But, for what it's worth, I don't think of her as a monster."

"Oh? And what would you call her?"

"Just, Mavis," Johnny answered with a smile. He didn't think of her as 'just' a monster or a vampire (even though those were pretty cool things to be), he just thought of her as Mavis. "But, if I had to say goodbye to her, and never be allowed to see her again, you might as well just make Drac erase my mind while you're at it."

"Well, that was your original plan if things were to go wrong," Eve said quietly, "I assume that's still in effect?"

"Yep," Johnny simply replied. The cave was quiet once again. Johnny stood up, and smiled at the vampiress. "Well, thanks for listening to me." With that, he started walking away, just as promised. He didn't even stop to confirm they had a deal, he just started walking out of her temporary home, just as he had promised.

"Why?" Johnny stopped, and looked back at Eve. There was a certain curiosity in her eyes, but they also looked untrusting. "You are not one of us, yet you are willing to give up your memory and your-" She stopped herself. "ability to visit with monsters, with little to nothing in return, just to help them." Eve scowled at him. "I want to know why!"

"Why not?" Johnny said casually, "They're my friends, and I'm going to help them." With that, the human walked up the earthy ramp and towards the exit of the cave.

As for Eve, she stayed standing in her spot. She felt angry, and confused. 'I don't understand,' she thought, 'Humans are nothing but selfish killers! They hate us! So, why does this human want to help them!'

It was a good thing it was nighttime, so she could at least get her frustrations out by flying or hunting. But even as she flew out of the cave, so swift and silent that Johnny didn't even notice and turned to look at her, the conversation she had just had was still buzzing around in her head.

'Humans and monsters cannot be friends, or allies, or lovers! It could never happen!'

Images passed through her eyes. Zach, still foolishly and innocently trying to catch fireflies. Her parents, dead far before their time. Her sister, happy and hopeful for the future of her and her family. An angry mob, marching towards an unsuspecting monster home. Mavis and her human, hugging each other, almost looking like they were truly in-

Eve screamed in frustration, squeezing her eyes shut. "Dammit all!" Just as she opened them, a branch stopped her in her path. Letting out a small gasp, she didn't have time to stop and hit the branch. Before she could fall however, her tiny claws were able to grab onto the branch and she pulled herself up to sit on it.

A small tear managed to escape. Damn that human for making her question herself. She glanced up at the sky, the stars hidden by grey clouds. But strangely enough, the slow moving clouds soothed her. It cleared her mind, just a little.

In three days, she would have a choice to make. The council would hear Dracula's statement, possibly hear pleas to keep his hotel open. Then Mavis, her niece (Eve couldn't help but wonder if she was now more or less hated by her), and that human would try to convince the council to let humans and monsters meet. As a member of the council, it would be partly her decision.

While she was one of the newer members of the council, Eve also had a lot of respect. Depending on the situation, she could sway any vote. The question was, once the others had heard what Mavis and the human had to say, what exactly would they vote on? Would she say anything to possibly change their mind? And which way would she vote?

'I promised myself that I would always protect my fellow monsters,' Eve thought to herself, 'no matter what.' She sighed. 'Only now, I'm not sure what that entails.'

After sitting on the branch for nearly half an hour, she flapped her wings once again and flew through the forest, expertly dodging every wooden obstacle. When she returned to her cave, three hours before the sun would rise, she only had pair of mice with her. The small meal was given to Dunstan without a second thought. She wasn't feeling too hungry.

It was alright, one night without blood wouldn't kill her. Instead, she laid down over by the fire, and after letting it's warmth pacify her for a few minutes, Eve lifted her hand, and put it out in one swoop.

()()()()()()()

Only about twenty minutes after the two vampires woke up and read his letter, Johnny returned.

"Where did you go?" Mavis asked, "Who did you have to talk to?"

"I went to go talk to Eve," Johnny answered. He would have said more, but Dracula and Mavis stopped him.

"You what!" they shouted in disbelief.

"I know, I know," Johnny said, remembering how it seemed like Eve was going to kill him, "It wasn't the smartest idea-"

"That's an understatement," Dracula commented.

"- But, I had to talk to her. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Mavis gave a small sigh. "You couldn't have just waited three more days to talk to her?" she asked, sounding more annoyed than angry.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to worry you guys," Johnny told her, "that's why I left a note and my bag."

Mavis looked at him, and Johnny gave her a sheepish smile. Rolling her eyes, she couldn't help but smile back. "Whatever, just no more running off, okay?"

"Promise."

"Good," Mavis replied. She turned to her father. "I guess we should get going, right Dad?"

"Yes," Dracula replied, "after all, we don't have all night to search for a place to sleep."

"So we'll just find a place and then chow down," Johnny said, hoisting the backpack back onto his shoulders, "I mean, we have a whole forest, there's has to be a good camping spot somewhere."

As the three started walking towards one of the many tunnels, Mavis nonchalantly took Johnny's hand, letting him know he wasn't in too much trouble. He gave her a small smile, and after several minutes of walking in the dark, let go of her hand once they were outside so she could search with her dad. But before Dracula took off, he stayed behind just for a moment.

"Jonathan," Dracula started to say, getting the young man's attention, "If you were able to talk to Eve, that means you found where she's been staying, yes?"

"Yeah, but I can't really tell you where," Johnny replied, "I kinda promised her I wouldn't."

"... Alright." As much as he wanted to apologize, Dracula knew Eve wanted to be alone. That wouldn't stop him from trying to talk to her the next chance he had, but for now, he would try to resist the temptation to search for her. With that, Dracula flew off in a different direction from Mavis while Johnny searched for a campsite on foot.

When they finally found a place to stay (a hollow tree that was the perfect size for bats, as well as hiding place from the sunlight, and a nice open space for Johnny to sleep), it was easy to find food. Mavis hunted nearby while Johnny stuck to whatever food he had laying around in his bag that wasn't spoiled. Thankfully, granola bars, trail mix and candy didn't really have an expiration date.

"Are you sure that's all you want to eat?" Mavis asked, "because we can catch something for you, and if you just cook it you'll be fine."

"Nah, I'm good," Johnny replied, "but thanks anyway."

"Suit yourself." With that, Mavis picked up another scorpion and ate it, though she made sure to turn away from Johnny while she did.  
Once he finished eating, Johnny started getting out what he would need to sleep. "Hey, you don't think it'll rain tonight, do you?" he asked, looking up at the sky.

"Hmm," Mavis said, watching the clouds, "It seemed like it was going to, but now it looks like they're moving away."

"Good," Johnny said with a grin, "I kinda wanted to sleep out here for a while." Sleeping under the stars was one of his favorite parts of camping. Of course he would have to move into his tent come daylight (which was thankfully black so it could block out most of the sunlight), but for right now, he just wanted to enjoy the night sky.

When he unrolled his dark green sleeping bag, Mavis couldn't help but comment on it. "That looks about as cramped as a coffin. Why don't you just use your blankets?"

"Because they wouldn't be as soft as having one of these under you," Johnny replied, "and trust me, it's more comfortable than it looks." He unzipped it, and fluffed it out a little, getting rid of any dust or stiffness that came from not using it for so long. A crumpled up wrapper came bouncing out. Johnny picked it up and looked at for a moment, but then just shrugged and stuffed the wrapper in his bag.

"Hey, that reminds me," Johnny said, "there's something I've always wondered. Your dad sleeps in a coffin, but you sleep in a normal bed. Are you, like, claustrophobic or something?"

"No," Mavis replied with a slight smile, "I just get too cramped in one. It also gets pretty hot in coffins, which doesn't exactly make for a good day's sleep. But sometimes if it's really cold, I'll climb into my old coffin. Every once in awhile, it isn't so bad. Every day? No way."

"I get ya," Johnny said. He probably couldn't even get a minute of sleep in a coffin, it would just be too freaky. "So, do you just keep your coffin in your closet, or under your bed?"

"Well, actually," Mavis started to say, "I guess a coffin technically is my bed, I just sleep on top of it." When Johnny looked confused, she explained. "My dad and I were able to get a mattress that was only slightly bigger than a coffin. We just put it on top, covered it with blankets and I had my own bed - with quick access to a coffin."

Thinking back to Mavis' room, he did notice that her bed was kind of in a strange shape. A rectangle with a couple angles, almost like the shape of a coffin! "Wow, that's so cool!"

Mavis giggled. "Thanks."

Around 3:30 in the morning, when both of them were yawning nearly every five minutes, Dracula finally returned. There was no point in asking if he was able to catch anything. He was a famous vampire after all. But they did appreciate the private time he gave them.  
"I think I am going to go to bed," Dracula told them, "Mavy, I hope you're planning on coming in soon."

"Yeah, I'll go to bed in a couple minutes," Mavis replied.

"Good." Just as he was about to transform, Dracula noticed the cocoon-like object that Johnny was sitting on. "Is that what you're sleeping in, Jonathan?"

"Yeah," Johnny answered, "Why, wanna trade?" Dracula looked back down at the sleeping bad.

"Yeaaaah no." The two laughed and Dracula gave them a small smile. "Sleep tight, you two."

"We will," Mavis replied.

"Don't let the termites bite!" Johnny added. Using his telekinesis, Dracula undid one of the ropes on Johnny's tent, and the entire tent crumbled into a flat pile of fabric. "Hey!" This time, Dracula laughed.

"Goodnight," he said before transforming and flying into the hollow section of the tree.

After a couple more minutes, the couple shared a quick kiss and Mavis said goodnight as well. Since he was the last one up, Johnny decided it was time for him to get ready for bed too. He was easily able to set the tent back up, and since sunrise was in a couple hours, Johnny thought he might as well move into the tent rather than being rudely woken up by the sun. Once the tent was zipped up, he crawled into his sleeping bag and threw near him in case he got cold.

"Still as good as the day I bought it," Johnny said, pleased that the old sleeping bag was still comfortable, and that he had gotten all the ants out of it.

Resting his head on the soft pillow he had picked up on one of his travels, Johnny let his mind and body relax. 'One night down, only two more to go.'

The waiting was going to be the worst, especially on the third day. But, like anything else, he just had to keep a positive attitude and 'roll with it'. His eyes slowly started to close and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

**The shape of Mavis' bed really does look kinda like a coffin (I've seen the movie so many times I'm starting to notice little details, lol), so I thought it would be a cool little thing to add. **

**Anyway, again this chapter (at least the second half) ended up being kinda filler, and I hope I'm not getting repetitive. But if that's the case, I promise that with the next chapter, things will start picking up again. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and I'll try to get the next one up soon. Until next time, please review and have a nice weekend!**


	21. Chapter 21

Around noon, when Johnny woke up for a midday snack, he heard the sound of tires driving over the grassy path. The spell had worn off by now, and human reporters, explorers and historians were invading the castle. Luckily, the trio was far enough away that the humans didn't even notice the small campsite.

Johnny hoped the other monsters were in safe hiding spots as well. Since it had been two days (and two nights), they would've had plenty of time to go back to their own homes or to another nearby hotel ('Wait? Are there other monster hotels?' Johnny thought. He would have to ask Drac later).

It took him about an hour to fall back asleep, but when he woke up the next time, it was dark and Mavis and Dracula were already up.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Mavis asked, giving her boyfriend a small smile.

"Oh, the usual," Johnny replied, smiling back, "You?"

"Slept like a log," Mavis answered with a slight giggle.

"Good." He turned his head to look at Dracula, who was leaning against a tree since he wasn't so keen on sitting on the ground. "So Drac," Johnny started to say, "Do we have to travel somewhere for the council meeting, or will they like, come here?"

"A little of both," Dracula replied, "You see, when the council summons someone, they usually have someone who works for the council but is just not on it. It keeps certain monsters from trying to run away or get out of seeing the council."

"So, someone will just come pick us up and escort us to the council?" Mavis asked. Dracula nodded. "Will Uncle Frank and all the others be allowed to come?"

"Well, since it's such a big issue, they probably will allow the public to watch," Dracula answered, "but that doesn't guarantee they'll be able to get seats." But of course they all hoped they would.

After a few more minutes of talking, Dracula announced he was going to go search for breakfast and asked if either of them wanted to come.

"Actually," Mavis said, glancing over at her boyfriend, "I was thinking Johnny and I could go out to the town tonight, maybe go to a restaurant or something." There was a small shrug of her shoulders. "I figured you would be tired of just eating snacks for dinner."

Johnny could tell by looking in her eyes that eating dinner together wasn't the only reason Mavis wanted to go to the town, but he didn't dare say it. Instead, he replied with a "Sounds great! Is that okay with you, Drac?"

The vampire gave them both a small smile. "I don't have a problem with it," he replied. The two grinned at him. "Just be careful," he added.

"We will!" Before they left, Mavis changed her clothes in Johnny's tent. She decided to put on a pair of jeans and a violet sweatshirt to help her blend into the crowd, just in case the discovery of a mysterious castle in the woods had caused rumors to start floating around.

It was only an hour walk, and even though it was late, there were still plenty of places open. "How about here?" Mavis suggested, pointing at a small building with delicious smelling food inside. The words 'Restaurant and Tavern' were written underneath the Romanian words.

"Okay." The two walked inside, and after seeing that the place was pretty casual, sat down at the counter where there were a couple people already sitting, eating their food and watching tv. It was currently showing some kind of commercial, so they didn't pay much attention to it.

Johnny and Mavis were easily able to order their food (thankfully the bartender spoke English), and relax. No one in the room even gave them a strange look.

"So far so good," Mavis mumbled. Johnny patted her hand. "I don't think we have to worry about anyone in here," he whispered back.

The commercial ended, and a small jingle played, followed by the logo of a famous news broadcast station. The couple couldn't help but look up at the tv, even though they wouldn't understand it. There were a few video clips taken of the castle, and of investigators and historians wiping dust off the walls or pictures. They didn't sound panicked or scared, just interested in the castle.

"You ordered the Frigarui, right?" the bartender asked, getting Johnny's attention.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Johnny took the plate of Romanian style kebabs, "Thanks."

"Excuse me," Mavis asked. The bartender looked at her. "What were they just saying about that castle?"

"Oh, nothing interesting," the man replied, "just something about how it's old, but in good condition. They've only found old paintings - not even ones by famous artists - and furniture. Nothing different than what you can see in a museum or in a book. Why, are you interested in old castles?"

"Just a little curious," Mavis replied with a smile. She thanked him and then took one of Johnny's kebabs. After they finished off those, the two decided to treat themselves and get some Amandine - chocolate sponge cake - for dessert. Once they were done eating, they paid for the meal and left, not feeling too rushed to go back into the forest.

"So I guess once the excitement of find a random castle no one's even heard of is gone," Johnny started to say, "people start to lose interest if there's nothing interesting inside."

"Take away all the monsters and the decor and it is pretty boring," Mavis commented, "but at least now we can say the 'dangerous humans' aren't planning on starting a mob or something because of all this."

"Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped talking about it within the week," Johnny said, "at least not on the news." He was sure people actually interested in old castles, no matter what was inside, much longer than the average person. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah, it helps at least," Mavis replied, "but I think once people see monsters going into the hotel, it'll probably start to get their attention again." She turned and gave him a smile. "But, if we can try and convince them there won't be any angry mobs showing up, we'll be fine."

Mavis decided wasn't going to worry anymore about the council or what would happen at it (she would probably spend enough time doing that a few minutes before the meeting). After all, it wouldn't make the days go by faster.

"We've got two days," Johnny stated with a smile, happy to hear that Mavis didn't sound sad or worried, "You wanna spend them having a little fun?"

"I think that's a great idea," Mavis grinned, "But, what did you have in mind?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, but I'm sure we'll find something." Mavis laughed slightly, and took each other's hand and started walking down the street. As the couple continued on, thinking of ideas on how to spend the night and enjoying each other's company, neither one noticed a small, blue eyed bat, watching them from her perch on a rooftop.

()()()()()()

The red-eyed bat sighed softly. 'It won't be long now,' he thought to himself.

It was nearly sunset. Streams of light were shining into the tree where he and his daughter had slept in, but luckily it wasn't shining on it. Jonathan was still asleep and snoring (and loudly at that) and he could also hear the film crews driving back to the town.

His eyes stung from hardly getting any sleep, but he quickly rubbed it with his wing, scowling.

'I'm not worried...' Dracula told himself, 'Just restless. Yes, that's it. After all, you're used to flying all around the hotel, checking on a million things and whatnot.'

He sat silently for a moment, and then scowled. 'When did I become such a bad liar?'

Dracula really did hate when things were out of his control. But it wasn't just awaiting the fate of his hotel, and his life - as well as Mavis and Johnny's - he was also worried about seeing a certain vampiress again. His guilty conscious was still weighing on him, and he had a feeling Eve wouldn't (and make sure she wouldn't) have time to talk to him after the meeting.

The sun was almost down now. He could hear Mavis slowly stirring from her sleep, and even Johnny's snores were getting lighter. But as they were waking up, he found himself just getting sleepier. His thoughts started to drift as he watched the sunset in between the trees...

_"You need your sleep you know. She'll be fine, Vlad."_

_"I know, I know. I'm trying to get to sleep, Love, I really am."_

_"Then what's wrong?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You know she'll be safe and sound in her crib until nightfall. Then she'll be wide awake and you'll really be wanting to go to sleep."_

_He chuckled. "Okay." He placed his daughter back in her crib. Mavis only moved a little, and then let out a content sigh, quickly falling back into her dreams. His wife took his hand and dragged him back to bed. They had bought a normal bed to replace their coffins, at least for the first few months of parents. Dracula had to admit, he did like being able to actually sleep next to his wife instead of being separated by wood and a foot of floor space._

_"I know I can be a bit of a, just a little bit of a-"_

_"Control freak?" Dracula gave his wife a look._

_"I wouldn't use that exact phrase but, yes."_

_She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her fragrance instantly relaxed him. "You're going to have to learn that even the great Count Dracula can't control everything." She kissed his neck. "You need to trust that things will be okay."_

_He looked at her, his sharp blue eyes softened. "And if things do go wrong? You can't say bad things won't happen Martha, that would be impossible." What was wrong with simply trying to prevent them?_

_"If things do go wrong," Martha started to say, smiling at her husband and squeezing his hand, "Then, trust that they'll soon be right again."_

_He couldn't help but smile back at her. So hopeful and full of light. He couldn't even remember life without her. The two shared a kiss, and slowly laid back down in the blankets, bodies intertwined._

"Dad?"

Dracula blinked. When had the sun gone down? There was a light darkness over the forest now, and Mavis was sitting next to him. "Is everything okay?"

He smiled softly. "I'm fine, sweetfangs," Dracula replied, wrapping a wing around his daughter, "just daydreaming a bit."

A campfire was started, and a light breakfast was served (luckily, there was a cheap grocery store in the town were Johnny could stock up on some actual food). An hour later, and they were still sitting around the campfire.

"What time did Eve say we were going to court?" Johnny asked.

"She didn't," Dracula replied flatly, "she just said it would be tonight."

"Oh."

"I'm sure whoever is taking us will be here soon," Mavis said, "I mean, we have the whole night, and the trial shouldn't take more than a couple hours, right Dad?"

"Eh, give or take a few more." Honestly, he wasn't a hundred percent sure if they would even be released before sunrise. 'I know we won't if our escort doesn't get here soon,' he thought with a small scowl.

The conversation would've continued, if not for the small noises in the distance. A swooshing sound, like a gush of wind, and every once in a while, a small yelp. "I think they're on their way," Johnny said.

A witch on a broomstick flew down towards them, taking a few stray leaves with her. "Whoa!" she said, pulling up on the broomstick and making it slow to a halt, "Easy Broom!" Once it was stopped, she hopped up and smiled at the staring trio.

"Hello!" she greeted. It was obvious she was a witch, the flying broom and black hat gave that away. But she wasn't like any witch they had seen before, at least not at the hotel. She was a lot younger, and rather than wearing a black dress, she was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a skirt that looked more like a chimney brush. She was also wearing purple and green striped tights and had bright orange hair that stuck out all over the place.

"Hello," Dracula replied, still a bit shocked by the witch, but she seemed friendly enough. "I take it you are our escort."

"Yep," the witch replied, grabbing her broom so it didn't decide to fly away, "Sorry I'm a bit late, this silly thing gets lost sometimes. By the way, nice to finally meet you in person, Count Dracula."

"Oh, it's fine," Dracula replied, giving the young witch a light smile, "and it's nice to meet you too." The witch gave a small curtsy and then looked over at the couple.

"And you two must be Mavis Dracula and Jonathan the Human!" she chimed.

"Yep, that's us," Mavis replied, smiling back at her.

"And you can just call me 'Johnny'," Johnny added.

"Well, alright," she replied. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Just so you two know, I'm on your side, and I hope you win!"

The couple grinned at the energetic witch. "Thanks," Mavis replied, "that means a lot to us."

"No problem, Sweetie." She glanced up at the sky. The crescent moon was still low in the sky. "Alright, we better get going."

"So, do you have a teleportation spell or something to get us there?" Johnny asked curiously.

"That's how it's normally done, either with a spell or using a special Skeleton key," the witch explained, "but, since I just happen to have one of the fastest brooms in existence, I figured it would be a little more fun if we took the scenic route."

"Alright!" Johnny shouted, getting excited. He was helped onto the broom, and held onto it tightly.

"Just so you know, you two are welcome to climb on whenever your wings get too tired!" the redheaded witch told them. Dracula and Mavis nodded, and then transformed, ready to follow.

"Hang on!" With a click of her heals, the broom zoomed up into the air, leading a small trail of green dust and the faded sound of Johnny's screams.

"Whoa! This thing really is fast!" Johnny yelled over the rushing wind. He was holding on so tightly now he thought he might accidentally start splitting the wood. But the witch just giggled.

"Don't worry, you won't fall!" she told him, "Just relax!" Johnny gave a slight nod, and looked at what was under him. They were passing by fields and towns, making them look like only blurs. Even with that, he could still enjoy the thrill of flying, and was even able to loosen his grip a little bit.

Sometimes he would look over his shoulder and see Mavis and Dracula actually a few feet behind them. Dracula, the guy who could catch up with a plane, was falling behind! Luckily, they never fell too far behind.

Johnny wasn't sure how much time actually went by, but the trip felt like it was only a few minutes long, ten at the most. When they started approaching a pair of tall, bare mountains, the witch slowed down a bit and started heading towards the base of the mountain. As the seconds passed, it was becoming more and more evident that she wasn't going to pull up.

"Um, we may want to, like, straighten up a little," Johnny said, but the witch didn't reply. She just kept flying towards the rough, sharp looking base of the second mountain. He quickly closed his eyes, hoping this was some kind of witch prank or something.

But as they continued flying, not only did they never straighten out, but they never hit anything either. Deciding to risk it and see for himself, Johnny opened his eyes and found himself flying down into a dark cavern with torches lining the rocky walls. He looked back, and the pair of bats were still following them.

'Okay, I don't know what it is with monsters and secret mazes and entrances and rooms,' Johnny thought before grinning to himself, 'but it's still awesome!'

"Alright, the waiting room's just up ahead!" the witch called out. Johnny sat up a little straighter and looked past the witch. Sure enough, there were a pair of black painted wooden doors. With a flick of her hand, the witch opened them and they flew inside.

"Whoa," Johnny said, looking around at the room as the broom slowed down. There were several benches and small sets of tables and chairs where monsters could sit and wait. There was even a small water cooler in the corner.

The room was dark brown, with black trim. There was a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling to provide light, and a gothic-style grandfather clock to let them know why time it was. Right now it read 10:14 PM. But these weren't the most interesting parts of the room. The most interesting part was the seven paintings hanging on a wall, all in a row.

"Wow," Mavis said, looking around herself after transforming, "It's pretty big for a waiting room. Will there be any other monsters in here with us?"

"Well, we have several waiting rooms," the witch replied, "and this one is mostly reserved for the monsters on trial. But, it's not a big rule so, you never know!"

"Thank you again for escorting us," Dracula said.

"It was my pleasure, Count," the witch replied, smiling. She then turned to Johnny and Mavis. "I should probably get going. Someone will come by to get you in a few minutes or so. Good luck, you two!"

"Thanks," they replied in unison. The witch gave them all a small wave before hopping back on her broom and flying away, shutting the doors behind her.

"Hey, Drac?" Johnny said, looking back at the pictures, "These guys are all on the council, right? I mean look, there's Eve." He pointed at the last painting on the far side of the wall. In the painting, Eve was striking a pose similar to the Mona Lisa, only without the smile.

"I believe these are all the current members," Dracula replied.

"Have you met any of them before, Dad?" Mavis asked him, looking at a picture of a goblin.

"Not personally, but nearly every monster has heard of them. The council is made out of seven monsters from all over the world." He started at the far end of the row, at a picture of a dog-like monster that looked kinda like Wayne, but didn't have any fur. He also had tiny horns, and was wearing a grey poncho.

"There's Bartolo, the chubacabra and I believe their most recent member." The next paining was of a monster with teal scales and a long neck, with a head like a snake or a lizard, but her eyes were bright green and almost human like. She was smiling in her picture, and around her long neck was a pearl necklace. She had a big body that was somewhat curvy, and her hands were webbed, making them look almost like flippers. "Vanessa, a member of the Loch Ness Clan. Her grandfather was a member of the original council."

The next monster had a thick, bushy black beard and hair, red skin, small horns and a face almost like a lion. He was also wearing a black robe that looked very Japanese. "Otoya has been on the council for many years," Dracula continued.

"What kind of monster is he?" Johnny asked, still staring at the picture. He had never seen any monster like that at the hotel, and he had a feeling he wouldn't want to face one without Drac near by.

"An Oni," Dracula answered.

"They mostly live in Japan," Mavis added, "I think I've only seen one or two ever visit the hotel."

"So this is Japan's monster? Pretty cool." He smiled slightly. "I guess it would've been too much to see Godzilla on the council," Johnny joked. The two vampires gave him a strange look.

"What are you- Oh! You must mean Gojira-san," Dracula corrected, "No, he hates politics." Johnny's eyes widened, but Dracula didn't notice, and instead moved on to the next painting.

"There's Greg the Goblin," the vampire introduced, "another one of the older members. After all, Goblins are one of the oldest species of monster." As soon as Johnny heard the word 'Goblin', he was expecting the usual small creature with big ears, green skin and tattered clothes. But the goblin in the painting was totally different. He still had greenish skin and pointy ears, but, unlike the goblins seen in stories who only wore rags, this one was wearing nice dress clothes, with a tuff of blonde hair.

Eve's picture was next, but they already knew about her, so Dracula moved on to a monster who looked just as serious as Eve. He was wearing a brown suit, but his hair almost looked like green dreadlocks. "Gorgons are another monster species that has been around forever. Alexander is probably just as serious and against all of this as Eve is." And Johnny could definitely tell. As he looked at the picture, he couldn't help but be reminded of that Snape teacher from the Harry Potter movies. He could now also see that the 'dreadlocks' were just his snake hair folded back.

Finally, they were at the last painting, a monster both Mavis and Johnny recognized. "A fly," Mavis stated.

"The original Fly," Dracula corrected, "Andre and his family were the ones who first started the fly-monster race." Looking closer, Johnny and Mavis could both see that the fly was wearing 50's style clothes and his black hair was mostly silver, giving away how old he was.

"I'm actually kind of glad I get to meet these guys," Johnny commented, smiling slightly to himself. These weren't just movie-famous monsters, they came from legends and cultures all over the world, and there was something unique about that. 'Monsters really are living right next door to us humans,' Johnny thought, 'no matter what country you live in'.

"Hopefully you can meet them again on better terms," Dracula replied. He glanced at the clock. It was now almost 10:30.

"Looks like we killed some time," Mavis said, thankful that there had been something to talk about while they were waiting. But now, looking around the room, it seemed like there wasn't even a magazine to pretend to read through.

But, it seemed like they wouldn't need one anyway. With the room silent once again, the three could start to hear footsteps outside the room. First they were faint, but quickly started to get louder. The trio turned to face the front door.

"Ready you two?" Dracula asked them.

Johnny and Mavis looked at each other. This was it. This one event would maybe decide what would happen to them. To all monsters and humans. There were so many possibilities. Some good, some great, and some horrible. But no matter what the outcome was, they were more than ready to face it together.

They both turned to give the vampire a determined smile. "Yep." "Ready when you are, Drac."

Dracula smiled back, and they all watched the door. But when the footsteps stopped, instead of seeing the door open, they only heard it open. Confused, they turned around and were pleasantly surprised.

"Frankie!" Dracula exclaimed.

"What, you didn't think we would miss this, did you?" Frank asked, smiling at the trio.

**We're so close! I'm sorry if you thought this would be the start of the Council meeting, but I promise it will start in the next chapter. Whether or not it will also finish in one chapter or if it'll take two I don't know yet, but the filler will stop next chapter! **

**This chapter was a bit of a pain. I had a terrible cough/cold all this week, and there were days I couldn't even write. It totally sucked. I also had to research different monsters and find names and looks for them, which took some time too. But, I'm so glad I was able to get this out today, and now I get to celebrate by going to an Owl City/Neon Trees/Maroon 5 concert! So yeah, here come fun times! But yeah, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've gotten such nice reviews lately and I just don't know what to say *Hugs all my readers* I'll see you all sometime next week!**

**Also, can any of you guess what cartoon character I was referencing with the witch character in this chapter (it's not the same character, just very similar, and I thought it would be a fun semi-cameo)? Here's a hint: If you've ever watched Cartoon Network around Halloween, you've probably seen the movie this character is from. Bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Congrats to the reviews who guessed who I was referring to in the last chapter, and yes, it was Scary Godmother (my brother and I watched that special every year around Halloween). Hope you all enjoy the chapter! **

"I can't believe you're here!" Mavis said as she rushed up to meet her uncle.

"Now aren't you happy I made you wake up early so we would make it in time?" Eunice asked as she stepped out from behind her husband and gave Mavis a hug.

"Wait, are the others coming?" Johnny asked, walking up to his 'cousin'.

"Well, we saw Murray and Griffin in a different group, and the wolves were in a group all by themselves," Frank answered, "but I'm sure they're on their way. I mean, come on, it's a big moment for both of you guys."

Johnny smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He just hoped they would make it before they had to go in front of the council.

"So, enough court drama," Eunice said, letting go of Mavis, "tell me all about your trip!" She looked specifically at Johnny. "Your family liked her right? What did you all do? What's it like in California? Oh, did you plan anything romantic while you two were there?"

"Auntie Eunice!"

"What?" Eunice asked, "I'm just curious! And besides, if he starts forgetting about romance now then trust me Sweetie, he's not gonna get any better."

Mavis rolled her eyes while Johnny chuckled. "I'm not sure when they'll come in here and get us," he said, "especially since we've already been in here forever, but I think we have some time to tell you a little."

While Mavis and Johnny started telling Eunice about their trip, Frank walked over and sat next to Dracula. "So Drac, everything okay?" he asked, curious about his best friend.

"Frank, I've had three nights to worry," Dracula replied with a slight chuckle, "I think it's pretty much out of my system."

"'Pretty much'," Frank repeated, "but not completely."

"Shut up." The bigger monster chuckled. "But, to tell you the truth, it's not the actual meeting I'm worried about." Frank raised an eyebrow.

"It's not? You do remember what will probably be brought up, right Drac?"

"I remember," the vampire answered calmly. He looked over at Johnny and Mavis, who were talking and laughing along with Eunice. "Even though they've hardly brought it up when I'm around, probably to keep me from worrying, I've heard them talking and planning what they are going to say. After all, whatever is decided tonight is going to effect them the most.

"Whether Johnny will be allowed to stay, if he will have to choose between two worlds, it's not just whether or not humans can learn about monsters." Dracula then gave a soft smile. "But those two, they've been planning and memorizing what they are going to say. I have complete confidence that they're going to be fine tonight. Of course, this doesn't guarantee a happy ending, but..."

The young couple laughed again. As Mavis started talking about the park they had walked through the night they went to LA, he noticed Johnny smiling and looking at her as she talked. When she recalled seeing the bloomed flowers with her boyfriend by her side, Mavis seemed so happy, almost as if she was glowing. Their love was so strong. "I think they'll be okay no matter what the council decides," Dracula finished.

Frank smiled. "She really isn't a little girl anymore."

The vampire sighed. "No, she's not," he replied, "but she's still my girl." He felt a light pat on the back.

Although he hated ruining the mood, Frank still had one more question to ask. "But, what's the other thing you're worried about?" he asked.

Drac's smile fell. "Eve," he answered, "but, not in the way you think." The blue-skinned monster gave him a curious look. "A couple days ago, Eve came to the hotel, just as Mavis and Johnny did and... some secrets were revealed."

"Oh," Frank said, his eyes widening slightly since he knew exactly what Drac was talking about. Hardly anyone remembered that Eve and Martha were sisters. The family line was famous enough, but Martha was only really known in their small group, and Eve never mentioned her in any interviews or speeches. It made sense that Mavis didn't know, and why Dracula never told her.

"But, that wasn't the only thing revealed." Quietly, Dracula told his friend the whole story of what happened that day, only leaving out the actual cause of humans finding the hotel.

"Maybe you can have a talk with Eve after all of this is over," Frank said.

"What good would that do?" Dracula asked bitterly, "I'm over a hundred years too late."

"Maybe you two weren't close, and maybe you don't really like each other," Frank started to say, "but, even if it's late, an apology still means a lot, more than one in an old letter."

Dracula thought for a moment, and smirked. "When did you start getting so wise?"

"Watch it, garlic breath," Frank said with a chuckle, "who says a Stein can't be strong _and_ smart?"

The two laughed a little more, making Dracula feel a little better and just a tiny bit less guilty. His first priority was his daughter's happiness, but as soon as the meeting was over and a conclusion (hopefully a happy one) was met, he would have a new goal. 'I will make this right, Martha,' he thought to himself, 'I promise.'

"What are you two doing over there?" Eunice asked, curious.

"Yeah, you're missing the story!" Johnny added.

"Nothing, just catching up," Frank said. They shared a small smile and walked over to where the three were sitting. "So, what did we miss?"

"Well..." Mavis started to say before the back doors flew open, making them all jump in surprise. At first, it looked like wind had blown the doors open, but as they looked closer, they could see tiny bits of sand in the air and on the carpet.

"We're not late, are we?" said a voice as a pair of floating glasses and a familiar mummy ran into the room.

"No, but almost," Dracula joked.

"Uncle Murray! Uncle Griffin!" Mavis exclaimed, once again getting up to meet her extended family.

"What's up you guys?" Johnny asked happily, "Are Wayne and Wanda behind you?"

"We saw them just a little ways behind us before we went through the cave," Murray answered, "and it looks like everyone's there, including a few other monsters."

"Other monsters?" Dracula repeated. Maybe they were a few of the witches or zombies from the hotel, coming to give their support.

"Yeah, a whole family of 'em," Griffin said, "We figured they were either friends of yours or friends of Wayne and Wanda's."

A whole family? Well then, they couldn't possibly be members of the staff. But he didn't know any other families besides his friends' families. "What did they look like?"

"Well-" Before Griffin could say any more, a hurricane of fur, claws and teeth rushed into the room. "Incoming!"

The pups all scattered throughout the room, curious at this new place they had never been before. They started climbing the chairs and tables, scratching them up or chewing on the table cloth. A few were distracted by the grandfather clock, and were soon trying to pull the shiny gold toy out of the center. "I hope for their sake this wasn't one of the waiting rooms that just got new furniture and paint," Griffin commented.

Of course, a few of the pups noticed the two familiar faces out of all the monsters. "Mavis' back!" said a pup in a black tee shirt.

"Johnny too!" Winnie added. Several pups ran over to Mavis, wanting to give her hugs and licks, while a dozen more tackled Johnny and started a dog pile on top of him.

"Hey guys!" Mavis said, trying to pet as many as he could, "I missed you guys."

"Alright kids, settle down," said Wayne as he and Wanda entered the room. Even though they were pretty much ignored by their pups, they were still greeted by their friends.

"I assume no one was left behind?" Dracula asked, since the pups were running around too much for him to count them (he couldn't even remember how many kids they had anyway).

"Not a single pup," Wanda said, smiling cheerfully at the Count.

"Yeah, those suits of armor may not look like much, but they did a good job rounding these little monsters up," Wayne added, "I hope that one guard's okay though."

"Um, Wanda?" said Johnny, getting their attention, "A little help, please!" he managed to say before a pup jumped on his head. Shaking her head, Wanda reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out a worn and faded tennis ball, casually tossing it on the floor. Of course it was immediately noticed by the pups, and the 'Let's Tackle Johnny' game was soon forgotten.

"Thanks," Johnny said, picking himself off the floor.

"No problem," Wayne said, "We actually wanted to talk to you, kid." Johnny blinked. Why would they need to talk to him? "I think we have a few humans that belong to you."

They all looked at the back door, and sure enough, a whole group of humans entered. Johnny and Mavis almost couldn't believe it.

The group of humans was none other than Johnny's family. His parents and all his brothers were there, looking happy to not only see him, but to be in a room full of monsters.

"Mom, Dad!" he said, surprised but smiling, "What are you, I mean, how did you even-?"

"What, our son doesn't answer his phone or call us and his girlfriend's family is in trouble," Madison said, "Why wouldn't we come to see if everything's okay?"

"After making a couple calls to work and buying a few more plane tickets, we were able to make it here last night," Quincy explained.

"But, how did you find these guys?" Johnny asked.

"And, how did you know they were his family?" Mavis added, looking at Wayne and Wanda.

"Well, you said you found the place when you were walking through the forest, and the hotel was surrounded by reporters and tv cameras," Matt told them, "It was pretty easy to find the forest it was in. When we heard from some cameraman that the castle was empty, we figured you and Mavis were hiding somewhere. We went off to look for you, and-"

"And that's where we found the cool family of werewolves," James said, finishing his older brother's sentence, "and they told us about what was happening and that they could take us here."

"As for how we knew who they were," Wayne started to say, "We didn't, but Winnie recognized a faint scent of you guys on them, and sure enough, that's who they were."

Johnny and Mavis turned and looked at Winnie, giving her a thankful smile. The pup stopped and gave them a small wave before going back to chasing her brothers.

"It actually wasn't too bad staying in a cave," Madison said, "Even if it was a bit cramped. But you were right Mavis, your aunt is very nice." Wanda grinned at the red headed woman, it was almost as if they were best friends after only knowing each other for a couple days.

"It's so great you guys are here," Johnny said. It was nice to see his family not freaking out about all the monsters, not even flinching at ones they had never met before. "But, I have someone I want you all to meet."

Knowing exactly who he was referring to, Mavis quickly grabbed her dad's hand, and pulled him over closer to the family of humans.

"Drac," Johnny started to say, "These are my little brothers, Jake and Freddie." Freddie gave a shy wave while Jake said a quick hello. "My twin, James." 'They don't look like twins,' Dracula thought, but the boy still looked friendly. "My older brothers, David, Alvin and Matt." Matt said hello, Alvin flashed a peace sign, and David simply waved. "And finally, my folks, Madison and Quincy."

"Wow, just like in the movies," Jake commented as the rest of his family stared at the count. But just because they stared, didn't mean they looked or acted scared, which made Dracula feel a little more comfortable.

Quincy took a step forward and held out his hand. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Dracula," he said. He was only a few inches shorter than Dracula, and just as friendly as Johnny. "Likewise," Drac said as he shook the blonde's hand. Both men then looked at Madison.

The redhead looked up and down at the vampire, but she had a smirk on her face. "Well, not quite as handsome as Edward, but still good looking."

Dracula blinked. "Uh, I - I'm sorry, who's-?" Madison started laughing.

"I'm just joking," she said, "It's nice to meet you too, and, I have to say, your daughter Mavis is a very nice young lady."

The vampire's confusion was replaced with a pleased smile. "Thank you," he said, "and your son is... very unique as well, a very good friend and a nice young man."

With the three parents getting along great, Johnny and Mavis started introducing Johnny's brothers to some of the other monsters. Jake and Alvin immediately liked Murray, and David ended up talking with Griffin while James played fetch with the pups. But one brother didn't wait for Mavis or Johnny to introduce him.

He recognized the monster from his book, though most illustrations gave him green skin, not blue. But Freddie never would've imagined the monster being so much bigger in real life.

"Frank, I think someone's looking at you," Eunice pointed out. Frank turned to see Freddie looking at him as he sat on a chair by his brothers. The boy shyly waved. "What a cute little thing," his wife commented.

Not wanting him to just have to sit there while his brothers had fun, Frank walked over to him. "Hey," he said, "What's up?" The boy didn't really reply. "I'm Frankenstein, but most people call me Frank."

"I'm Freddie," Freddie replied, just barely loud enough to hear.

"That's cool." The two were silent for a moment or two, but Freddie spoke up again.

"You're, _really_ tall," he said.

"Thanks," Frank said, "You wanna see what it's like?" Freddie didn't say anything, but he smiled up at the blue monster, so Frank took that as a 'Yes'. He held out his hand, and after waiting a couple seconds, Freddie took it. With hardly any effort at all, he lifted the boy up and placed him on his thick shoulder. Freddie looked around, an excited smile quickly appearing on his face.

"Wow," he said simply, "So cool." Chuckling, Frank walked back over to his wife and the other monsters, making sure Freddie didn't fall off as he walked.

Everyone was having a great time, but they knew it wouldn't last all night. And even though he loved having his family there, it brought up another problem. So, while Mavis was busy, Johnny walked back over to his parents and Dracula.

"Hey, Mom?" he said, getting their attention, "Don't think I'm trying to ditch you guys or whatever, but, we're going to have to go soon and you guys, don't really look like monsters."

"We already have that covered," Madison said as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a pair of small but good quality (the kind you would get at a specialty costume store and not a 25 cent machine) pair of vampire teeth.

"It worked for the couple monsters we passed on the way here," Quincy told his son, "so we figured as long as we didn't draw attention to ourselves, they would work here too."

"I guess eighteen years worth of Halloween supplies and monster make-up does come in handy sometimes," Madison joked.

Dracula took a closer look at the teeth. Only when they were outside a person's mouth could a monster tell they were fake. "I think this could work," he said with a grin.

"Hey, you know Drac," Johnny said suddenly, "We should've used fake teeth to disguise me! There's no way Esmerelda would've pulled those out-!" Dracula gave him a look, and Johnny decided to stop talking about it. "Just saying," he added.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and nearly everyone in the room froze. The pups ran back over their parents, and Frank put Freddie back on the ground. Johnny's family wasted no time putting their teeth in. It was just a lucky coincidence that the monster opening the door was a zombie, so he was much slower at opening the door than another monster would've been.

"Draaacula, Mavis, Jonothn," he said, speaking better English than most of the zombies Johnny had met, but still sounding like a zombie.

"Over here, buddy," Johnny said as he, Mavis and Dracula took a step forward.

"Come," he said before walking away. Not wasting anymore time, the trio followed the zombie bailiff out into the courtroom, with the others right behind them.

()()()()()()

The courtroom seemed more like a stadium or one of those old theatres. All around, there were sections of monsters, both on the floor around them and in several higher sections, with a small open area in the middle of the room. In front of all the sections was a set of several raised desks. It wasn't hard for Mavis and Johnny to figure out this was where the council would sit.

The walls of the room were painted a dark brown with several candles lit around the room, with red carpet covering the floor. All the benches where the monsters sat, as well as the desks, were made of a blackened wood.

"Heeere..." said the zombie, gesturing to two open chairs, just in front of the middle section. Johnny and Mavis took a seat while Dracula remained standing.

As he listened to the quiet chatter going on throughout the room, Johnny looked over his shoulder to see if he could see his family. While his other monster friends had to separate since it was already so crowded, his family had managed to find an empty bench and sit together. With the fake vampire teeth secure in their mouth and looking as casual and normal as they could, no monster even gave them a second glance. When he spotted Johnny, Matt gave him a thumbs up, and Johnny gave one back before turning back around.

A hush went throughout the room as footsteps were heard behind the desks. The council members were coming in, which meant things would finally be starting. All the members looked exactly like they did in their paintings, with the exception Alexander the Gorgon, who was wearing a small pair of glasses with dark purple glass in them, protecting everyone from his powers but still letting them see his eyes.

Eve was the last to take her place, the third seat from the left on the line of desks. As she sat, she didn't even acknowledged Dracula, his daughter or her boyfriend.

When the room was completely silent, Greg - the monster who was in the middle of the row, stood up. "We're sorry for the delay, and we promise not to waste any more time. We will start with the cause of this meeting: the discovery of the infamous Hotel Transylvania." Muttered comments and whispers started up, but were silenced with a harsh glare from a few of the council members. Greg continued. "Vlad Dracula, would you please join us up here?"

Dracula nodded, and walked into the open center of the room. He gave a slight bow before looking up at the seven monsters. This time, he caught Eve looking at him, but she quickly looked back at the goblin.

"Count Dracula, would you please give us your account of what happened three nights ago?"

"Yes," Drac replied. He cleared his throat, and continued speaking. "The humans were first spotted outside the hotel by myself. As soon as I realized they were coming, I flew back to the hotel and alerted my staff. My top priority was getting all my guests out and to a safe distance, which is exactly what my guards did. I even have several monsters here in this court room that will agree with me."

A few of the council members nodded, silently allowing him to continue. "As my staff took care of my guests, I ordered the maids to start getting rid of any evidence that monsters had lived there. Once that was complete, they were allowed to leave, and I stayed behind."

"And why did you stay behind when there was a threat of humans?" Vanessa, the Loch Ness monster, asked, her voice calm with a bit of a Scottish accent.

"I was waiting for my daughter and friend," Dracula answered, "I did not have a safe way of contacting them, and I knew they would come to the hotel first, so I decided to wait. If humans would have arrived, I would have left through the exit hidden underneath the hotel."

"Well, we can certainly see that you and your staff did an excellent job, Count," the Fly stated. He had a thick British accent, but his voice was still a bit monotonous, much like a lot of the flies at the hotel. "We have been watching human news reports, and no evidence has been found of monsters."

"But, we must ask," Alexander said, cutting in, "Do you know how your hotel was found by humans?"

Dracula didn't look up at her, but he could feel Eve staring at him. "No," he answered, "I do not."

"How are you a hundred percent certain the human who has been staying at your hotel didn't alert them?" Alexander asked.

Mavis knew they would ask this, but it didn't stop her from glaring at the gorgon. "I can assure you, it wasn't him," Dracula told the council, "My daughter was with him, so he couldn't have made the call without her knowing. There is also no evidence on his cell phone that says he called the reporters."

"So, if you do not know how your hotel was even found, how can we trust you to build another one that would be safe for monsters to stay at," Alexander asked, "Or, were you planning on asking something else? It is common knowledge you support the idea of humans and monsters meeting after all."

Alexander's voice had taken on almost a threatening tone, and he was staring down the vampire, not blinking or looking away for even a second. But Dracula didn't even flinch.

"Actually, I was," Dracula said, causing more whispers around the room, "Both I, as well as Mavis and Jonathan, were going to ask if perhaps the hotel could be opened again, for both monsters _and_ humans."

The monsters in the room didn't even try to stay quiet now. Some monsters boo'd and yelled while others cheered and clapped. Some just shouted questions, hoping to be answered, and some just shout comments that were either positive or insulting.

The zombies tried to quiet the monsters down, but completely failed. So, seeing that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Otoya stood up and banged his fist down on his desk.

"Quiet down!" the Oni shouted, "If this courtroom becomes disruptive again, we will make this a private meeting! Now, please refrain yourselves from shouting, and_ sit down!_"

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Otoya sat back down. "Thank you," he said in a softer but still strong voice.

"He's almost as scary as your dad," Johnny whispered, managing to get a small giggle out of Mavis.

"Now then," Greg said, shuffling the small stack of papers on his desk, "Count Dracula. We know that you are not alone in this issue. Over the past few weeks, many supporters have spoken up, even more so after the Q&A held at your hotel."

"But, this issue is still a controversial one," Vanessa added, "and not one to be taken lightly. So, we must know Count, how would you tackle having humans an' monsters living together an' make sure ev'ryone is safe?"

"Actually, Ma'am," Dracula said, with a slight smile, "I believe it would be best if they explained it." He turned to look at the young couple sitting in the two chairs just a few feet behind him. Suddenly, all eyes were on the young vampiress and the human.

"Can we really trust your daughter, who is barely an adult, and a human with this issue?" Alexander asked, not sounding too impressed.

Dracula gave him a look. "Yes, we can," he said.

"Well," Greg said, looking at the vampire, "Count, you may sit down." He looked at the couple. They both looked ready to face the council. "Mavis Dracula and Mr... Jonathan, would you please join us?"

They stood up, and walked past Drac as he sat down. It was soft, almost unnoticeable, but they heard him whisper, "I know you can do it." They smiled as they took their place in front of the council. This time, Eve didn't look away, even when Mavis noticed her staring.

Remembering what Drac did, Johnny quickly bowed just a couple seconds after Mavis started to bow.

"Miss Dracula, Jonathan," Greg said as soon as they stood back up, "You may plead your case."

'No problem,' they both thought. They looked at each other, and then back at the council. It was time to see if all their preparing and planning and gaining support would pay off.

**This chapter gave me a lot of trouble unfortunately. I knew what I wanted to write, I just had trouble actually writing it. I actually wrote 1700 words and then deleted it all just because as I was writing it and reading it, it was just crap. Hopefully this version is better. Sorry it's kinda late, but we're only two to three chapters away from the end, and I'm on Spring Break so you can (hopefully) expect an update sooner than usual. Please review, and have a nice day!**


	23. Chapter 23

"Council-monsters," Mavis started to say, looking up at the seven waiting council members, "Thanks to help from Johnny-" She gestured to her boyfriend, "and with permission from my father, I have been able to experience the human world, and even though I have not been in it very long, I can still see how kind and friendly they are.

"I won't pretend that what happened between monsters and humans didn't matter, because it does. Many monsters _and_ humans were hurt and were even killed, and because of this our worlds are separated. They were originally separated to keep us safe, but as time goes on, what sort of life is that? We have to hide in the shadows, and constantly have to have our guards up, always wondering about a threat that may or may not even exist anymore?"

"The rules are set to keep order and to keep us safe," Alexander pointed out, "Are you saying they should be forgotten and ignored just because you are tired of them?" As he talked, the snakes on the his head rose a little, hissing. But, the gorgon simply flattened them with one swipe of his head, as if they were actual hair.

"Not forgotten," Mavis said, "Just changed. If there is less danger in the human world, we monsters should be allowed to experience it and even gain new friendships, just like I was."

"You say in the human world, you were never in any danger," Otoya spoke up, his voice calm but serious like a parent, "but they didn't know you were a monster, so how can you say we will be safe when most cannot simply hide their fangs and change our clothing?"

There were mumbles throughout the crowd. "Uh, actually, that isn't completely true," Johnny said before he could stop himself. Suddenly, all eyes were on him. He looked at Mavis, since it felt like he interrupted her, but she gave him an encouraging smile to continue.

'Don't let the pressure get to you,' he told himself, 'Remember what this is all for.' Ignoring all the stares, he continued.

"Just a few days ago, Mavis and I were with my family," Johnny stated, "She wanted to meet my family, and to be honest, I was kinda missing them. So, we stayed there for a week, and they learned who she really was." There were surprised noises and even more whispers now, but Johnny didn't let them slow him down. "First, my brother figured it out, but not only did he keep it a secret from his friends, he actually thought it was pretty cool!

"A couple days later, the rest of my family found out. But by that time, they already liked her." Johnny looked over at Mavis, smiling. "She wasn't just 'a vampire', she was Mavis, a girl who just happened to be a vampire. And by the time we left, everyone in my family had accepted her as who she was, and she was pretty much one of the family."

Looking back at the monsters, he finished off his statement. "I'm not going to lie, if you guys did say who you were, there will be a little 'freaking out'. Probably from both sides. But, if both sides had the chance to get to know each other, it could work. We're a lot more accepting now. In human society, people of different races, religions, opinions, are able to live together. If we try and work together, I don't see why monsters couldn't be accepted in human society too."

When he finished, there were actually a few claps in the audience. "Good job," Mavis whispered. Johnny grinned. Even if none of the council members clapped, he was still pretty happy with the results.

Once everything quieted down, the Fly stood up. "It seems that you two are confident in this issue, but how exactly are you proposing this plan?"

"Yes, do you plan for monsters to just walk out of their homes and into the nearest city," Bartolo the Chupacabra asked, "after all, some of us and our families are still talked about and sought after, even in modern society. I'm sure Council-monster Vanessa and any Bigfoots in the courtroom will agree with me." The Loch Ness monster nodded.

"We have thought about that too," Mavis said, smiling slightly, "and we have the perfect solution. We - myself, Johnny and my father - all agree that we should start the bridging of the human and monster world at the place where all of this started, Hotel Transylvania.

"After all, humans already know where it is. It's big enough to hold plenty of guests, and can even be expanded if needed." Before she continued, she turned towards the monsters in the audience. "For decades, Hotel Transylvania has been known for being a safe place for monsters to relax, be themselves and have a good time. In fact, most of you have been guests in the hotel, and have returned to the hotel multiple times."

She turned back to the council. "If we provide a safe environment for humans and monsters, a place to stay and experience what it's like to live with each other, then there's the chance to form trust and friendships without having to worry about safety or having to find a new home. We would make Hotel Transylvania the only known place to find monsters. It would be a small step, but not a pointless one. And in a few years, if you all allow it, perhaps we can even open up more places for monsters and humans to meet. Slowly, we will be able to live together."

More claps followed. There were even a few cheers (mostly likely from Frank or Murray or one of Johnny's brothers). The two smiled at each other. They knew that things were looking good for them. But it wasn't over yet. Greg stood up, deciding to take back the lead.

"What you are proposing is, admittedly, a well thought out idea," Greg told them, "but, because it would be your idea and because you-" He looked specifically at Mavis, "are the heir to the hotel, you would both be responsible for anything that happens along with Count Dracula. While the council would shut down the hotel at the first instance of murder of any monster there with no trial, you two would be responsible for making sure that never happens."

He looked straight at them, not an in intimidating way, but in a way to let them know how serious this was and what they were getting themselves into. "What you two want to do is a big step into the unknown. If the council decides to pass this and re-open the hotel, you two would have to be willing to drop anything and everything at a moment's notice to assist in any issue or conflict that arises and to have an active part in helping both the human world and the monster world live together.

"You would become an example of humans and monsters living in harmony, and as such, the safety and the advancement of your plan would be your top priority. If the council let this pass, would you accept this responsibility?"

The couple had to think for a moment. If they accepted this, that meant they couldn't exactly do whatever they wanted anymore. While Dracula was still head of the hotel and would take care of most things there, Johnny and Mavis still had a big part of it. If something happened, they would have to go back to the hotel to help fix it, possibly cutting trips short or not being able to go on them at all. And of course, if anything did go wrong, there would be no more second chances.

But even so, the results that were the most likely, where monsters and humans could meet and wouldn't be afraid of each other. It seemed more than worth it.

"I accept it," Mavis said.

"Same here," Johnny added.

The goblin looked at Dracula. "Count, would you accept as well?"

"I already made it my top priority to keep my guests safe," Dracula told him, "So, I don't think much would change. I would accept."

Greg looked back down at the couple. "It seems you all are truly committed to this issue. You should be proud of that."

"Thank you, sir," Mavis said while Johnny just smiled at him.

"But, there is still much to decide and discuss," Greg continued. He picked up his papers and stood up. "The council will be dismissed, and when we return, we will announce our decision relating to Count Dracula, as well as his hotel and the plans to reopen it to both monsters and humans. Any comments before we adjourn?"

"I have one." The six monsters turned to the one council member that spoke. Eve already stood up, nearly silencing the entire room.

After staying silent the entire meeting, all Dracula could think was 'What is she going to say?'. Her face was still, no one could tell what she was thinking or how she was feeling. She didn't look as emotional as the last time Dracula or Jonathan saw her, but she didn't look determined or angry either, which was how she usually looked when talking about the issue at hand. But at that moment, her face was completely blank. So, Dracula could only wait and listen to what she had to say.

"Very well," Greg said, sitting back down, "Eve, you have the floor."

"Thank you." The brunette concentrated on the couple, and waited a moment before speaking again.

"You two believe that only good things can come from humans and monsters meeting, and it is obvious you two are determined to make it happen. But tell me this, what if there are some monsters who don't want to meet humans."

She never took her eyes off them. "Maybe some monsters aren't ready for change, or they feel it isn't necessary, or they aren't able to forgive humans like you and your father are. What will you do then? Will you force them to meet humans and get along with them, or share the same dining room and lounge with them while staying at the hotel?"

For a moment, neither of them knew what to say. But after a bit of thinking, Mavis knew what she was going to say.

"You bring up a very good point," she said, her voice calm but strong, "Not every monster either likes or hates humans. Some just don't feel ready to meet them, and that's fine."

She looked up at Eve. "Like I said, even though I've never experienced it, I know what happened in the past. Memories, they're like scars: They fade, but they never completely go away. I know that. But, even though we should never forget the past, we should be able to move forward from it, if it's beneficial to do so.

"That being said, we're not going to force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. That won't solve anything. We're still planning on taking things slow after all, so both sides are comfortable. If monsters want to meet some humans, they will be free to do so. But if not, they will not be forced to."

Mavis smiled at her aunt. "And they won't be bad-mouthed or thought less of for it." She looked over her shoulder at her father. "I think my dad said it best. Hotel Transylvania is a place for anyone - families, couple, singles, werewolves, mummies, gremlins, whatever - to relax and be themselves. A place of peace and tranquility, and maybe a little bit of fun and excitement. And this won't change if humans are allowed to stay."

Dracula smiled proudly at his daughter while applause filled the room.

"Well then, anything to add, Eve?" Greg asked.

"No," Eve said simply. It was still incredibly hard to tell what she was thinking. But as she followed the rest of the council out, she looked back at Mavis one last time.

"You two did great!" Frank said, giving them both a one-armed hug.

"There's no way they'll say no to you guys!" Alvin added.

"Let's hope so," Mavis replied, half joking.

"We'll all have to go back into the waiting room until they call us back in to announce their decision," Dracula told them, but the group didn't mind. After all, it would give them more time to get to know each other.

So, they returned to the room, just as the doors to the council's room were shut.

()()()()()()()

The first issue, whether or not Dracula should be punished for letting his hotel be discovered, was easy to decide. Dracula didn't do anything that led the helicopters to the hotel, and no one was hurt or seen. All seven members voted that Dracula shouldn't receive any punishment.

The second issue however, was one that came with a bit more discussion between the monsters.

"I don't know why we're even discussing this," Alexander said, "Monsters revealing themselves to the public! They'll be new mobs around the globe by next week!"

"Actually, it doesn't seem like there are too many mobs today, Alex," the Fly spoke up, "There have even been reported instances of groups of humans _celebrating_ monsters. I heard Dracula even went to one himself. So, I feel like mobs are the least of our worries."

"There's still danger!" Otoya interrupted, glaring at the fly, "even if monsters will only be near the humans at Dracula's hotel, any human could walk in and launch a surprise attack."

"Otoya, do you honestly believe Drac would let any dangerous humans into his hotel?" Greg asked, "Of course, we should request some sort of security, just to make sure."

"You sound like you're actually considering this," Alexander challenged, his snakes quietly hissing.

"I am," Greg said, not letting himself be intimidating. After all, he was just as old as the gorgon, and had been on the council longer than him. "They put up a good argument, and many good points. If you believe they all aren't taking this seriously, then I have to ask what vampire and human you were listening to, Alex." Alex scowled.

"It may sound good now, but what about when it actually happens," Vanessa asked, "Even if humans don't know any other places to find monsters other than the hotel, there's no way to know they won't go out an' search for them. My clan's been sought after for decades, I can't imagine findin' out monsters are more than legends will slow them down!"

"My families been hunted too," Bartolo retorted, "but, if humans and monsters have good first impressions, they would be no reason to try and hunt these monsters, right? The humans would consider them allies and _amigos_, not creatures."

"But these are all ifs!" Otoya shouted, "There is no way of knowing how many humans will accept us!"

"But there's also no way of knowing how many humans won't accept us," the Fly commented. Otoya growled, but said nothing more.

"Our jobs are simple: Make sure our kind is safe from humans," Alexander reminded them, "That shouldn't be compromised just for a naive vampire and human can have their happily ever after world. It's a danger for them to even be together."

"Now, wait a moment," Vanessa said, "I think it's perfectly fine that they're a couple. They obviously love each other, Drac already approves of it, and they haven't gotten any other monsters in trouble yet. I'd say they should allowed to continue what they're doing, just leave other monsters out of it."

As her fellow council members discussed the issue, Eve was still trying to decide herself.

The last thing Mavis said, the answer to her question, it was still echoing in her mind. As was what Johnny said to her in the cave.

Part of her believed it. Part of her said that it was right, and that she could trust both of them, as well as Dracula. But the other half of her still couldn't forgive the humans for what they did. That part kept bringing her back to reality, saying to her, "Do you honestly think they've changed?"

But, she didn't have to forgive the humans. She didn't have to ever associate with any of them ever again. No matter what choice was made, she could continue living in her tower and doing what she wanted to do in life, protect other monsters so they wouldn't be hurt like she was.

She could allow monsters to meet humans. She could vote to let the hotel be re-opened and have both species stay there. There was no rule saying she would have to be a part of it. Most of all, Mavis and Johnny - the mixed-match pair where each time she saw them, it was harder and harder to convince herself it could be fake - would be happy.

But, was it the right choice? That was the question that she could never answer.

She could easily say which was the most logical choice, the safest choice, the choice that resulted in a happy ending for her niece. But the right choice? She just didn't know anymore.

Looking across the table, she could hear Greg and Alexander arguing. 'What else is new?' she thought. But it triggered a memory, one from a set that she longed to forget about because they brought her nothing but grief.

It was many years ago, on her birthday. She had just received Dunstan, and had learned her sister had been out exploring the human world...

_"I can't believe you can be so, so stupid!"_

_"Wow, that's the least proper sentence I've heard you say in a while," Martha commented._

_"Don't make jokes!" Eve snapped, "This is serious! You know how dangerous the humans are, they're nothing but killers! And yet you've been going to their villages every night?"_

_"First off, I go to other places other than the villages," Martha said, "Two, I never interact with the humans, and number three, I go because I'm curious! You can't tell me you've never wondered about what's beyond that forest and these mountains?"_

_Eve stayed silent, but was scowling. "Look, I know you're just looking out for me, but I can't stay here with you, Mother and Agatha my whole life. I want to see the world and meet other monsters. Despite it's dangers, the world can be a wonderful place, and I hate that you've forgotten that." _

_With that, Martha sat down next to her sister. Eve still didn't reply, but she allowed Martha to give her a one armed hug. "I'm not promising to stay here, but I do promise to not be foolish or careless. You don't have to worry, I can fly with my own two wings after all. I'll be careful."_

_Eve looked up at her older sister. "You better," she replied, "Because if you do something stupid I'll take a stake to you myself."_

_Martha laughed, making Eve smile a little, and the two sisters sat together, enjoying the moment. "Martha?" _

_"Yes?" "Do you ever think the humans will die out so monsters can rule the world again and be safe?"_

_"I hope not." Eve looked at her sister in disbelief. _

_"Martha, do you forget what they've done? What they did to father?" she asked._

_"Of course not," Martha replied, "I will never forget. However, I don't believe that all of them hate us, or that they always will."_

_The younger vampiress scoffed. "That's a foolish belief."_

_"What about that boy you met?" Eve froze and quickly looked away again. If she could, she would've blushed in embarrassment. She still blamed herself for even talking to that boy. "He wasn't afraid or hateful, even though his father was. So, that shows that not every human wants to destroy us."_

_"Why do you want to even try to associate with humans?" Eve asked._

_"Because, we all share the same land and oceans," Martha replied, "Why do we need to fear each other and try to destroy one another?" She looked at her sister, her eyes looking towards a hopeful future. "I'm not saying I'm going to walk up to any human I see or reveal myself to a whole village. I'm just saying, both of us have immortal lives, and there's a possibility that at some point during them, humans could change and might want to be our allies, so we shouldn't always think of them as the villain."_

_"So, you're saying I should forgive and forget?" Eve asked, the tone of her voice making it clear that she wasn't planning on doing that._

_"No, I'm saying you should accept it."_

_Eve blinked. 'Accept...' "Accept humans, and know that change is impossible to stop, so you shouldn't make yourself miserable trying to stop it. Just accept it, and adapt to it."_

_Eve still didn't really have anything to say to that. She still wasn't so sure about her sister's words, but she didn't want to argue with her anymore. "When are you planning on leaving for more than a night?"_

_"I was thinking a couple weeks from now," Martha replied, "but it won't be much longer than a few nights. It is my first big trip after all."_

_"Well, that's good." Martha smiled, happy to see that her sister was at least trying. She gave Eve a hug, and Eve didn't waste anytime hugging back. _

_"Happy birthday, Eve. I love you."_

_"I love you too, sister..."_

"Eve... Eve!"

The vampiress blinked. Greg was looking at her. "You didn't give us your vote," he said, "It's three to three, so you're the tie breaker."

"Can we really trust her judgement in this decision?" Alexander asked, "after all, she has an emotional attachment to Dracula's daughter."

"I trust her completely," Greg answered sternly, "after all, she has proven time and time again to be competent in her job." The goblin looked back at Eve. "So, are you for or against re-opening Hotel Transylvania for both monsters and humans?"

Eve didn't have to think it over anymore. There was no way to know for sure if it was the right choice, but it did feel right. She just hoped she didn't regret it in the future. With one final word, the council's decision was made, and they retreated back to the courtroom.

**Please review and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

As soon as the courtroom zombies told them the council was ready, all the monsters quickly shuffled out of their rooms and took their seats. Everyone was wondering and speculating about what choice the council had made. Since they already knew they would be called up, Dracula, Mavis and Johnny walked up to the middle of the room, and waited for the council to come out.

They only had to wait a few seconds before the doors opened, and the monsters returned to their desk. When Eve appeared, she still kept a stiff face, making sure to keep up appearances. But in her eyes, Dracula could see that in that moment, they weren't quite as cold. In fact, he could almost feel a sense of content from the vampiress. Whether or not that was a good thing, was about to be revealed.

"Count Vlad Dracula," Greg said, looking squarely at him, "it was a unanimous decision that you shall not receive any punishment for what happened at your hotel."

Dracula nodded, but the room remained quiet. That wasn't the decision everyone was waiting to hear, and the goblin knew that, so he didn't waste any time.

"As for the issue of the re-opening of Hotel Transylvania and the addition of humans being allowed to stay at the hotel..."

Everyone held their breath. Johnny crossed his fingers while Dracula and Mavis silently waited.

"The vote was 4 - 3, with the majority of the council voting that the Hotel Transylvania will be reopened, and both humans and monsters will be allowed to stay there."

There were cheers in the form of whispers, and those who were on Mavis and Johnny's side grinned in victory. While the trio was happy, they stayed quiet and allowed Greg to finish.

"Dracula, Mavis and Jonathan will have joint responsibility for the hotel and it's guests, and will also have a say in any decisions or issues involving both humans and monsters that come to the council. Details will be discussed at a later date, but the decision is final. The council is dismissed."

With that, the seven monsters stood up and left the room, as soon as they left, a majority of the room erupted in applause. Johnny's family rushed up to him and Mavis to congratulate them, as well as their monster friends.

"I can't believe it," Johnny said, grinning ear to ear, "This is just, awesome!"

"I know!" Mavis said. It was close, but they did it. Before anything else, the two shared a celebratory kiss.

"I knew you guys would win," Frank said when the two broke apart.

"Thanks, Cus," Johnny replied while Mavis hugged her father.

"So, I guess we'll have to start round up the staff and start cleaning the hotel," Mavis told him.

Dracula chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so. I should try to look up my old contractor, something tells me we'll have to add a few new additions to the hotel."

"Just don't change too much," Johnny told them, "after all, it's all the monster stuff that makes it so cool!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Dracula replied. But as he celebrated, he caught a figure watching him. As soon as they noticed him staring at something, Mavis and Johnny followed his gaze and saw her too.

Eve was watching them, the mix of humans and monsters both happy about the same thing. In that moment, she did something no one was expecting.

She smiled. It wasn't like the other smiles they had seen from her, the ones that felt insincere and silently saying 'Don't think for a moment you can stop me'. But it also wasn't completely friendly. Her smile was one of uncertainty but with a bit of hope. And that was really all they needed.

All three of them smiled back, but when Mavis started to call out her name, Eve turned and disappeared behind the tall desks.

Seeing how disappointed she was, Dracula placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I think we'll see her again soon," he said. Mavis smiled at him, and the trio turned to follow the rest of the happy crowd out of the court room.

At long last, it was time to return home.

()()()()()()()

It was safe to say the few investigators that were still exploring the 'abandoned' castle were more than shocked to see a vampire suddenly there waiting for them. Luckily, Johnny was there to calm them down, and once they felt sure enough that no one was going to suck their blood, they were actually curious about Dracula.

They asked Drac questions about not only the castle but himself as well, and even asked Mavis a few questions. It turned out they were big 'Bram Stoker' fans (whoever that was), and were interested in vampire culture, just as long as they weren't in any danger.

Once it was time for them to leave, Dracula asked them if they could wait a couple days to tell the public what was there. Once that was done and it was once again just the three of them, the suits of armor and witches revealed themselves.

"Alright," Dracula told them, "We have a lot of work to get this place ready. I want several teams cleaning up the halls and rooms. Anyone available can start refilling the pool and bring the zombies back here. Please make sure they don't wander off!"

If he said it before, he would say it again: Witches made the best maids.

In only a couple nights, everything was fixed, repainted, reapplied, shined, and ready for guests. And by the end of the week, everyone knew about the big secret of Hotel Transylvania.

So, here he was, awake well past his normal bedtime, preparing to reopen his hotel.

"Everything on the checklist has been checked off and double checked, Sir!" a voice said from him.

"Very good," Dracula replied, "You can go take a break if you want. Oh, and you can expect a small bonus coming soon."

The vampire didn't pay him so he wasn't sure how much this 'bonus' would actually be, but the knight was still happy about it. "Thank you, Sir," he said before running off.

With everything in order, Dracula only had one thing to check. He continued down the hall and to the dining room where Quasimodo was placing the food.

"You made the food I requested, right?" he asked.

"Yes, Monsieur Dracula," Quasimodo replied, pleased with himself. There were several stacks of plates and two long tables, each filled with an variety of monster cuisine as well as high class European style dishes for humans to enjoy.

"And there aren't any 'secret ingredients' in the human dishes?"

The Frenchman pouted. "No," he replied. As much as he wanted to, Dracula warned him if he tried anything funny with the food or tried to cook anyone, he would be more than willing to find a new chef. "But do not let them complain to me if they do not like the food!" Quasimodo mumbled to his pet rat who was perched on top of his shoulder as he walked away, more than happy to spend the rest of the day in his kitchen. "Honestly Esmeralda, I don't know how any human can eat that food. Not a single worm or spider in it!"

With that, Dracula headed towards the lobby. No one was inside yet, but they would be soon. Since there was nothing else left to do, and he had been on his feet for the past several hours, he sat down in one of the lobby chairs.

Not being able to help himself, he let out a big yawn. "I guess it is pretty late, for a vampire."

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Johnny with a goofy smile on his face. "Ha ha," he said dryly. Johnny just chuckled and sat down on the chair next to Dracula. "How many people are out there?"

"Tons," the redhead answered, "and not just from Transylvania. Reporters from all over the world are here. So much for taking a small step."

"Well, with all the technology you humans have, word would be out throughout the world even if only Transylvanian reporters were allowed in," Dracula replied, "and besides, I haven't heard anything negative. Have you?"

"No, not really," Johnny said, "Mostly, everyone's just curious, wondering how different you all are from the movies and how the heck you guys were so good at hiding."

"Well, all it took was a curious human with a backpack to find us so not too good," Dracula joked. The two laughed a little. "Oh, is your family here?"

"Front row center. I think they were here before the reporters." Dracula smiled. He was looking forward to seeing his new friends again. They were the only humans staying that night, and one of the few families. Then again, they were all kinda one big family now.

'Who would've thought?' Dracula thought to himself.

"There you are, Johnny." Mavis walked in front of them, smiling and looking anxious. "I was wondering where you went."

"Just wanted to go see what Drac was doing," Johnny answered, "So, what's up?"

"The stage manager wants us to get on stage now, you too Dad."

It's about time. "Alright." Letting Mavis and Johnny take the lead, Dracula followed them around the corner and through the patio and pool doors.

There was already a shaded spot set up where Dracula could speak and not have to worry about being burned. The entire patio was stuffed with humans and monsters, and while they were in separate sections (whether because they were monsters who would be burned by sunlight or because they simply didn't like the sun), Dracula could already see the two groups interacting and getting along.

On the small, shaded stage, there were three chairs: two for Mavis and Johnny, and one for Greg, who had volunteered to supervise the event. He was already in his seat, but quickly got up when he saw the trio approaching. He lowered the microphone, and got the group's attention.

"We will be starting shortly," Greg announced. The cameramen got their equipment out, and the reporters took out notebooks and pencils. Conversations ended, and everyone's eyes moved towards the stage.

Dracula took his place in front of the microphone while Mavis and Johnny sat down. This was nothing like the other times he had to speak in front of a crowd, like at the Q&A or in front of the council. It was just a short little welcome address. But at the same time, this felt like his most important speech, and yet he wasn't nervous. Rather, he couldn't be happier.

The vampire grinned at the audience, making sure not too show too much of his fangs, but just enough. "Good morning," he greeted, "I have to admit I'm not too used to saying that."

The audience chuckled at the joke, and Dracula continued. "I, am Vlad Dracula." He turned to his right. "This is my daughter, Mavis, and her boyfriend, Jonathan." The audience politely clapped. "Today is a historic day, for this is a day where monsters and humans will be able to meet each other and get to know one another after decades of hiding and isolating ourselves from one another.

"Once we are finished here, you will all be allowed to go to the lobby to socialize some more, or to the dining room to enjoy a lunch buffet. You will also be allowed to explore part of the hotel, guided by my staff." The audience clapped again.

"A few months from now, the hotel will officially be allowing guests in. We will have a new tower, adding more rooms as well as another game room and two more lounges and a second pool. For the first time, humans will be allowed to stay. With this, we hope to provide just as much enjoyment and relaxation for you as we have for our monster guests.

"With that being said, I welcome all of you, to Hotel Transylvania!"

Everyone stood up and clapped, with a few monsters and humans even cheering. Once everyone calmed down a little, Dracula concluded his introduction. "In just a few minutes, we will open the doors, and we invite you to stay for the rest of the day. Thank you." With that, there was more applause, and Dracula started walking away from the microphone. He wanted to do one more quick check before letting everyone in.

When he looked over his shoulder, Dracula saw Johnny and Mavis talking with a few of Johnny's brothers, so he didn't bother making them follow him in. Besides, he didn't need to interrupt them.

As soon as he entered the hotel, a familiar voice spoke. "I have to admit, that was a nice little welcome." The vampire turned around, and smiled.

"So you did show up," he said, walking over to the brunette.

"I figured I should," Eve replied, "I am apart of the Monster Council after all, it was pretty much a requirement to be here. I think I saw Bart and the Fly somewhere in the audience too."

"Are you sure it's not more than that?" Dracula inquired. Eve just rolled her eyes. "You know, I never got a chance to thank you for your vote." She looked up at her brother-in-law. "You have no idea how much it means to those two."

"Actually I do," Eve objected, "Even if I don't understand it and I don't like it, it's hard to deny what's right in front of you. Those two love each other, and that was a fact." The vampiress let out a small sigh. "I still feel like I made the wrong choice, and that any moment the humans will pull out a weapon and start firing."

She gave him a hard look. "Even if I voted for this, and even if it does feel like things will be fine, I still can't completely trust them. Not after what they did."

"I understand," Dracula said, "and, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Eve gave him a curious look. "For not being there," he explained, "I knew how much she meant to you and I was too focused on my own feelings and my own life to even try to-"

"Stop." Dracula stopped himself, and Eve smirked. "It's fine. I can't say I wouldn't do the same in your shoes. Besides, we were never too close anyway, not exactly In-Laws of the Century."

"But even so-!" Eve stopped him again.

"If you want to make it up to me, you can do so by doing your job," she said, "and making sure nothing goes wrong. After all..." She smiled. "I'm still watching."

Dracula smiled back. "Deal."

"Eve?" The two vampires turned to see Mavis and Johnny coming inside.

"We were just seeing if you were ready to open the doors," Johnny said, "but, it's nice to see you too, Eve."

Eve walked up to the redhead, looking straight at him. It was almost reminiscent of the first time they met, only now, she wasn't nearly as threatening. "Jonathan," she said. Johnny stared at her, silently telling her to continue. "I do not consider us 'friends', and it is likely we won't ever be. However, I do consider us allies."

Johnny smiled. "Thank you, Eve." The vampiress nodded, and looked at Mavis. Even if Eve was a little more on their side now, the air was still a bit tense, but it was Mavis that broke it.

"I'm glad I was able to see you again," Mavis told her, "It gives me a chance to apologize for what I said. And, it also gives me a chance to get to know you a little better. You are family after all."

"Well, perhaps I can send Dunstan in a couple weeks and you can write me a letter," Eve replied, "I would be happy to write to you."

Mavis' smile faltered a bit. "You mean, you're not staying." Looking at her aunt, she could see guilt in her eyes, but she could also see uneasiness. The final question asked in the courtroom came back to her, and she smiled. "It's okay, I understand. Just don't wait too long to write, okay?"

"Wouldn't think of it," Eve said, giving a small smile of her own, "Now, I should be going."

"Will you be okay?" Johnny asked, "You know, with the sun and all?"

"I'll have plenty of cover, and by the time sunset comes, I'll be at the edge of the forest," Eve answered. She turned to Dracula, giving him a silent goodbye, and then doing the same with the young couple before heading towards the front door.

"Hey, Auntie Eve!" She froze, and slowly turned back to the trio. "If you ever do want to stay, the hotel's always open," Mavis told her, smiling.

Eve blinked and felt a smile form on her face. "I'll keep that in mind." She gave her niece a small wave, and then transformed into a bat, flying away and disappearing behind a corner. As she fluttered towards an open door with a tunnel that led straight to the forest, she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I guess 'Auntie Eve' isn't that bad of a nickname."

**I'm cutting this chapter a bit short, but I really wanted to get it up tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to the movies, but I'll have plenty of time before and after to write, and I just might have enough in me to make one more update. Anyway, please review and have a nice night! **


	25. Chapter 25

Quasimodo's food had been a success. Despite it not being his specialty, the human food was declared delicious, as was the monster food for those who were a bit more daring (although they mostly kept to the mild stuff like scream cheese). Nearly all of food had been eaten, and now most of the guests were scattered around the first floor of the hotel. Currently, Mavis was talking with a few human girls who were very friendly (and a bit excitable).

"So, I get you're a hundred and nineteen years old," the brunette girl, Nina, said. She had a Russian accent (though not nearly as thick as her father's), and she - along with the other two girls - didn't live too far away from the village near the hotel. "But will you ever get any older. I mean, will you look any older?"

"Yeah," Mavis replied, "But I'll probably look this way for another decade or so."

"Must be nice, never having to look really old," a blonde English girl, Lucy, commented, looking just a bit jealous.

"Oh, I will," Mavis corrected, "It'll just take a long time. So, are you all liking the hotel?"

"I'm loving it!" Abrielle shouted happily, turning a few heads. The redhead grinned at Mavis. "This place is incredible, so much amazing architecture and details! And the company here isn't too bad either."

"So none of you guys drink blood?" Lucy asked, "Like, ever?"

"Sometimes animal blood, but my dad and I mostly stick to blood beaters," Mavis answered, "and besides my aunt, I haven't met another monster who drinks blood, so-"

"So you are a vegetarian vampire?" Nina asked. Mavis blinked, not really sure how to respond to that.

Lucy gave the brunette a look. "Are you seriously going to bring up that stupid book?"

"What? I was just curious! I thought that was the right term!"

"Hey, it's fine, really," Mavis said, stopping the two girls before an argument broke out. The blonde scowled but didn't say anymore, while Nina said a quick apology.

"Soooo, when is your dad planning on opening up the hotel for guests?" Abrielle asked, deciding to change the subject, "I'd love to get a look at the rest of the castle."

"Like my dad said, the new wing and all the other additions will probably be done in a few months. I don't know the exact date, but as soon as I hear something I can tell you guys."

Abrielle squee'd happily, hugging her new vampire friend. "I can't wait! Hey, maybe all of us can have a little sleepover!"

Nina smirked. "I guess that could be fun."

"Just as long as you don't make a noise like that ever again," Lucy added, earning a glare from the redhead. Even though she was feeling a bit suffocated by the hug, Mavis couldn't help but giggle. These three were definitely 'interesting', but she had a feeling they would be great friends.

"Looks like you're having fun," said a voice. The girls all turned and saw Johnny, who had changed out of his nice clothes and into a tee shirt and shorts. Although, one addition to the outfit were the were-pup sized footprints scattered over his clothes.

Mavis held back a giggle. "Yeah, we are. Where have you been?"

"Oh, hanging out with people, eating some food, the usual," Johnny answered.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone," Lucy said, standing up from her seat. Nina gave a knowing smile and stood up as well. "Yes, we'll try to find you again before we leave, Mavis."

"Wait, why are we going?" Abrielle asked, giving her friends a curious look. Nina rolled her eyes and grabbed her friends wrist, pulling her up and away from the young couple, who couldn't help but laugh a little.

"So, what did the pups do this time?" Mavis asked as Johnny sat down next to her.

"Alvin and Jake were playing with a few of them, and the pups got excited, so they grabbed a few of their brothers and started a game of tag." Mavis smirked. With werepups, a simple game of tag can still come with a bit of destruction. "Anyway, we figured we should probably try to calm them down and then they ran into the garden and... well, things got a little muddy."

Mavis laughed. "Well, nothing a little soap and maybe a dab of a witch's brew can't fix. So, did you get a chance to relax?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied, "I met a lot of cool dudes, and some new monsters. Everyone loves this place, and once it officially opens, it's gonna be packed."

"Maybe we should plan a party of something the night it opens," Mavis suggested.

"A classic way to kick things off."

"Still, I hope Dad doesn't too overwhelmed by all the extra guests," she said, her smile faltering a bit. There would probably be a lot extra work added to her father's already long list of responsibilities around the hotel. Even with a full staff, being a hotel manager (especially for a hotel like theirs) was a full time job.

"I think he'll be fine," Johnny said, reassuring her, "besides, we'll be giving him an extra couple pairs of hands every once in a while." Mavis smiled.

"Yeah." The two sat there, silently enjoying each other's company and watching the guests in the dining room. For a hotel that nearly closed and no one was a hundred percent sure would open again, it was now going to be one of the most popular places in both the human and monster world. In that moment, everything seemed... almost perfect. To Mavis, it felt like there was still something missing, but what?

Looking at her boyfriend, Mavis noticed he seemed deep in thought. "Hey," she said, getting his attention, "what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Johnny quickly replied. Mavis gave him a look. "Yeah, I didn't think you would buy that."

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up a bit straighter."

"Nothing's wrong, I was just thinking back to something." "What?" The redheaded backpacker paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, everything's great right now. My family loves you, humans and monsters are going to get a chance to hang out and become friends, the hotel's not gonna close, and in a few weeks, we're going on another trip." Mavis smiled at that. Since they wanted to stay the first month after the re-opening to help out, Dracula insisted they take a small trip first.

"Frankly, you two deserve it," he had said, "and your last trip was interrupted after all." Since the Count wasn't going to take no for an answer, they decided to take a month long trip. Somewhere they had never been, but would sure to be fun.

"And," Johnny started to say, but stopped. Mavis looked at him. "And what?" she asked.

"And, it seems like the perfect moment to... you know." In an instant, Mavis knew exactly what he was talking about. "It's okay if you still want to wait, I'm cool with that!" Johnny said quickly, "but, I just-"

"Me too." Johnny stopped, and looked at his girlfriend, who was smiling softly at him. "I wanted to wait, to make sure you wouldn't choose something you would regret." To make sure they really were in love. But, after all they had been through that month, that year, ever since they zinged, it would be a lie to say they didn't love each other. Scenes flashed through her mind - their conversation in the secret tunnel, that night in the park, and so many others.

She wanted to be with him forever, and vice versa, and Mavis was ready. She finally felt strong enough to take the next step. "Now that I know, I'm ready too."

Johnny slowly started to smile. She could tell he was a bit nervous, but mostly excited. Before she could say anymore, he leaned in and kissed her. They wrapped their arms around each other, and didn't even bother letting go after they finished kissing. They just hugged, enjoying the happiness and love they both shared. "I'm going to be a vampire," Mavis heard Johnny say.

She giggled. "Unless you were talking about something else, yes, you are."

Johnny sat up and smiled at Mavis. "And I'm going to have the best immortal life ever," he said before kissing her again. As they kissed, neither of them noticed the three girls peeking at them from around the corner.

"Aww, that was so sweet!" Aribelle whispered, "Now I know why you wanted to give them time alone."

"I know," Lucy agreed, "Do you think they'll be getting married soon? I mean, that's what happens after you turn your boyfriend or girlfriend into a vampire, right? You marry them?"

"Oh, I hope so!" Nina said, excited but making sure to keep her voice down. The three watched the romantic scene for just a few moments more before leaving, just so they wouldn't get caught. "I wonder what their kids will look like..."

()()()()()()()()

Madison had decided to take just a little more from the buffet. Just a small dessert crepe, a little extra dessert never hurt anyone. As she went to grab one, her hand bumped another. "Oh!" she said, looking up at the monster, "I'm sorry, go ahead and take one first."

The monster - a paleish white fish creature - smiled at her... before nearly shouting at her in gibberish. "Uhhh," was all she could really say as a reply. The fish-monster took a couple crepes, said a little more gibberish, and left just as Johnny was walking up.

Noticing his mother's confused face, he quickly translated. "Oh, he just said that was really nice of you and thanks," Johnny said. He turned and waved at the monster. "See you later, Marty!" Marty gave a quick reply and walked off.

"So, how's it going?" Johnny asked.

"I'm fine," Madison told her son, giving him a small smile. Just like her son, while she liked all the monsters, she felt more comfortable around the ones she already knew. But, that wasn't to say she wasn't willing to meet and become friends with more of them. Zombies still freaked her out a bit though, as did the brains and the skeletons (how was that even possible?). But, she was still having a good time. "How are you?"

"Great!" Johnny said, "Really good." There was almost a glow of happiness around him.

"Well, something pretty good must've happened to put you in such a good mood," Madison commented, giggling a bit.

"You could say that," Johnny said, calming down a little, "Mavis and I, decided that tonight would be a good time to... turn me."

Madison blinked. She wasn't expecting that, but it was inevitable. Even though the conversation she had with Mavis seemed like a lifetime ago, it still rang fresh in her mind. The dark redhead woman smiled. "Well, I'll be right there when you're done," she said. Johnny smiled, and the two hugged.

She was still worried of course, but the love and trust she had for both her son and Mavis overpowered it. So, here she was, sitting in a small lounge in the middle of the night with her family and a small group of monsters.

David kept himself awake by reading while the rest of his brothers either struggled to stay awake or were already fast asleep. Freddie was the first to sleep, and was currently resting his head on Frankenstein's leg - which was nothing more than a giant pillow to him.

Sitting across and around them were the monsters. Their pups were (supposedly) asleep in their room, so Wayne was enjoying a well deserved rest while Wanda killed time by doing some knitting. Eunice had a mug of coffee in her hand to keep awake, while her husband was able to stay wide awake. Murray was pretty wide awake too, but the snores that emitted from the corner chair and the fact that his glasses were tilted to the side let everyone know that Griffin was fast asleep.

As for Dracula, as hard as he tried, he just couldn't sit still, so he was pacing across the room and back. He had already done his part, telling Mavis how to turn someone into a vampire and making sure she knew exactly what to do. Now all he could do was wait with the others.

"What time is it, hun?" Madison asked, getting her husband's attention. Quincy looked at his watch.

"A little after midnight," he answered. Madison frowned and looked at Dracula. "How long does this usually take?"

"It depends on both the human and the vampire," Dracula answered, stopping his pacing for the time being. "Sometimes it only takes a couple hours, and sometimes it takes a whole night."

She heard a couple of her sons sigh. "Ya know," Frank said, sitting up but making sure not to disturb Freddie, "You guys are free to go to sleep. We'll wake you up when they're finished."

Madison politely shook her head. "I'm fine," she replied. She doubted she could get a decent sleep anyways.

So, the room returned to silence and Dracula continued pacing. This only lasted for a few minutes though, because after what seemed like forever, they all finally heard a door open.

In an instant, everyone was either wide awake or woken up by someone. Frank gently woke up Freddie, shaking him a little and telling him what was going on, while Murray just gave Griffin a light slap on the head.

"Huh? Wha - hey!" "Mavis and Johnny are comin'!" Murray told him. Griffin mumbled something, but stayed quiet as the couple walked in.

Johnny looked okay, but Mavis was giving him a little support as they walked into the room. Johnny stood up a bit straighter, and by the time they reached the center of the room, he didn't need any support at all. A tired but happy smile crossed his face as he looked at his family.

"So, did it work?" Jake asked.

"Yep," Johnny answered, "It worked perfectly." As he talked, everyone could see the brand new pair of fangs in his mouth. They weren't huge, but they were noticeable enough. His skin was also slightly paler, and on the side of his neck, there were two small red marks. Not only did they show he was a vampire, but they also proved that he was once human.

Other than that, there weren't too many differences. His hair was still red and wild, and his brown eyes were still bright and cheerful. He was still Johnny. Madison couldn't help but smile at her son, feeling both relieved and proud. When she caught Mavis looking at her, Madison gave her a slight nod, silently giving her approval and making the vampire girl grin.

"Lookin' good, little brother," Matt commented. Quincy and a few of his brothers nodded, agreeing with him.

"Did it hurt?" Freddie asked. Johnny absentmindedly rubbed his neck as he answered, "Yeah, still kinda hurts too, but the pain will go away in about a week." He looked over at Dracula, who was waiting patiently, not wanting to interrupt Johnny's family.

"So Drac," Johnny said, "I think I remember you saying something about how I would make a good vampire. Were you right?"

Drac pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm, nah," he said, "I'd say, you make a pretty great one." Johnny grinned and gave the vampire a hug, and while he hesitated a moment, Drac happily hugged back.

"Aw, that's sweet," Frank commented.

"Yeah. Corny, but sweet," Griffin added, earning a flick in the glasses from Eunice, making everyone in the room laugh.

"Hey, speaking of being a vampire," James said, "Show us some of your cool powers!"

"Yeah! Turn into a bat!" Alvin suggested.

"Okay!" Johnny said before rushing forward to give him a bit of a jump start.

"Wait!" Dracula shouted, "Don't-!"

"Bat form, go!" Johnny said as he jumped into the air... and promptly landed flat on his face, making all of his brothers and a few of the monsters laugh. Even Mavis had to hold back giggles as she and Drac helped her boyfriend up.

"Did you honestly think you would be able to change into a bat the moment you became a vampire?" Dracula asked.

"... Maybe."

The Count couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It'll probably be at least a couple months before you start getting powers," he told Johnny, "and even longer to learn how to change into a bat and fly."

"Aww," Johnny said, disappointed, "Well, at least when I do get my powers, I'll have a couple of good teachers to help me." Mavis and Dracula both smiled at that.

"Well," Quincy said as he stood up to stretch, "Since I think most of us are wide awake now, maybe we can head down for a midnight snack, if that's alright with you, Count."

"Oh yeah," Johnny said, agreeing with his father, "I'm sooo thirsty!"

"I can help with that," Dracula told him, "we should have plenty of blood beaters, and I believe Quasimodo hoarded at least one plate of desserts."

"Sounds like a midnight snack to me," Jake commented, hopping off the couch. As the mixed family headed out of the room and to the nearest elevator, Mavis slipped her hand into Johnny's.

"So, you really feel alright?" Mavis asked.

Johnny just smiled and squeezed her hand. "Better than ever," he replied. With that, the two headed down the hall.

_Now_ everything was perfect.

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, just because it was so happy. Usually there's a bit of sadness or drama but this time, nearly all of it was fluff (and I love writing fluff). I also enjoyed making up Mavis' three new friends, that was a lot of fun (I included a small hidden reference to the Dracula novel with the girls. See if you can figure it out). Also, Marty (that really is his name, see the first hotel scene in the movie) is probably my favorite background monster so I had to include him.**

**Enough of this long author's note: The epilogue is next!**


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

The late November wind was light and the air was crisp. As soon as he woke up, he could smell the leaves from his open window. It wouldn't be long before snow arrived in Transylvania, but even snow wouldn't slow down their hotel, at least not this year.

Rays of sunlight still shone through his curtains. For a vampire, getting up before sunset was the equivalent of waking up around three in the morning. But Dracula didn't mind, he had had a good day's rest, and was in a pleasant mood.

Making his way downstairs, deciding to stretch his wings and take one of the staircases rather than the elevator, he could hear the sounds of a full hotel lobby. The knights had opened up the hotel that morning, but there were still guests arriving. Nearly every room was reserved, for that night and the next year!

Peering over his lobby, he could see plenty of monsters and humans alike, either trying to get checked in or talking with a friend in the lobby. His staff was hard at work, and there didn't seem to be any problems, which pleased the vampire. Unfortunately, Dracula's friends and Johnny's family wouldn't be able to make it to the grand reveal, but they had already made sure to have reservations for next year and Mavis' Birthday, so he didn't mind. However, there were still two special guests that he was looking forward to seeing.

Transforming back into his normal form, Dracula moved through the crowd, wanting to find a suit of armor just to make sure everything was going great and to get a report on anything he missed while he was asleep. As he walked, he received plenty of waves and 'Hello's'.

"Hey!" shouted one person, instantly getting Dracula's attention. It was a slightly short man with black hair and had a bit of a belly. He looked so familiar, but he couldn't quite remember...

"Don't you remember me, fellow Dracula?" the man asked in an obviously fake Transylvanian accent, "Bleh bleh-bleh!"

Oh yeah, that's where. "Yes, hello, nice to see you again," Dracula replied, forcing a smile. Satisfied, the man walked away and as soon as he was out of earshot, Dracula slumped over and sighed. "How can I never be able to live something down when I never did it in the first place?" he asked no one in particular.

Well, at least he didn't have to hear it all the time. Standing back up, he spotted a knight in the far corner of the room, keeping a watchful eye on the room. "Status report please," Dracula said.

"Yes Sir. More than half the rooms have been filled," the head knight told him, "Lunch and Dinner went over successfully and there have been no issues or emergencies."

"Excellent," Dracula grinned. For once, just what he wanted to hear. "Oh, and this came for you, Sir," the armor said, producing an envelope. Dracula raised an eyebrow. "Sent by owl and arrived this afternoon."

The vampire didn't need anymore information, he knew exactly who it was from. He thanked the knight, allowing him to leave, and then read his letter.

_Vlad,_

_By the time Dunstan reaches you, the hotel will be open. I should let you know that the council is planning a few surprise visits. I can't tell you who's coming or when, but I thought I should at least let you know._

_As for Mavis' letter, tell her thank you and that I wouldn't mind having her visit me. It isn't much, but perhaps we could do a bit of hunting nearby, and I have a few books she may enjoy reading. But tell her I do not need a cell phone. I'm perfectly fine with pen and paper, thank you._

_To Mavis: Looking forward to your reply, and I hope you and Jonathan enjoyed your trip. To Vlad: Good luck on the re-opening, just don't get too cocky._

_- Eve_

Dracula smirked. Mavis and Eve had been exchanging letters lately. They had only sent a few so far, so it was a bit slow, but they were getting there. Mavis was getting to know Eve better, and Eve had a bit of company other than the council and Dunstan. Their relationship wasn't the strongest or the deepest, but they were both willing to try to get there.

As for him and Eve, their relationship was pretty much like it was back when Eve was around. Not quite getting along (at least, not all the time), but not hating each other either. Frankly, that was just fine with Drac. To him, it was just nice to have her not hating him and trying to re-connect with Mavis.

Speaking of Mavis... "Hey! Dad!" Slipping the letter into his shirt pocket, he turned and smiled.

"There you two are!" he greeted as Mavis and Johnny went up to him, still carrying their suitcases and bags, "I was hoping you would get here soon. You didn't get burned, did you?"

"We're fine, Dad," Mavis said, rolling her eyes slightly, "There were plenty of shadows and I had my parasol."

The two young vampires were dressed in new clothes that Drac had never seen before. Johnny was wearing a new long sleeved shirt with a dragon design on it while Mavis was wearing a purple silk shirt with a collar and gold designs on it, plus a new hairclip, which had several small jewels on it. "How are things here?" Johnny asked.

"Busy but good," Dracula replied, "and how was your trip?"

"Great!" they replied in unison.

"There were plenty of cool sights and pretty landmarks," Mavis told her father, "and we even met a couple dragons."

"-Who, will probably be coming here next time they wanna take a vacation!" Johnny added.

"Well, why don't you take your things up to your rooms and you can tell me more about it," Dracula told them, "Oh, and Mavy, your friends said that they'll meet you at the pool later."

"Alright/Okay." Grabbing their luggage, Dracula watched as they moved through the crowd and quickly went up the stairs. It was nice to see that they were still enjoying their trips.

'Maybe it's high time I go on one,' the vampire mused as he walked over to the front desk to help out the zombies. After all, they had invited him to go on several, and with the danger of humans slowly going away, maybe he would join them sometime. 'When we're not so busy, of course.'

As soon as they reached the second floor and saw an open window, the two looked at each other, grinning. "Race ya," Johnny said.

"You're on." With that, they jumped out the window. Mavis transformed into a bat and flew up high while Johnny began running on the side of the castle since he still didn't have his bat powers yet. As they passed Mavis' room, they tossed their bags on the small balcony and increased their speed.

Even with Johnny's new speed though, Mavis still reached the roof first. "Yes!" she said as soon as she transformed back.

"Just wait until I get my bat powers," Johnny said, trying to sound mad, "then I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that." That two laughed and then sat down next to each other, looking over the fantastic view of the scenery surrounding the castle. The sun was nearly down now, so there was plenty of cover.

"Tokyo Tower was pretty amazing," Mavis said, "but I don't think anything will ever beat this view."

"Totally," Johnny agreed. A sharp wind blew past them, but they were both resistant to the cold, so they weren't bothered.

"So, when are we gonna tell him?" Johnny asked, "You know Drac will wanna throw a big party or something when he does."

"Soon," Mavis replied, "Probably tonight or tomorrow. But really, we have plenty of time to tell him - and everyone else, we are going to be here for a while." She gave a content sigh. "But right now, I just want to enjoy this."

"Yeah, same here." Johnny placed his hand over hers, careful not to accidentally bump the diamond ring on finger, and the two leaned on each other. After a long plane ride, it wasn't long before they fell asleep. They would've probably spent the rest of the night on the roof, if not for an explosion waking them up.

"What was that?" Johnny asked. Looking up at the sky, they saw two bursts of color and light, followed by two more explosions. They could also hear cheers coming from the pool area in the hotel.

Mavis smiled. "Dad," she said, having a good idea who probably set it up.

"You know, this place really is awesome," Johnny commented.

"Yeah, it is," Mavis agreed. Wide awake, they both took this chance to enjoy the show, although they had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time there would be fireworks at the hotel.

As a grand finale, a bunch of fireflies flew high up and spelled out the words "Welcome to Hotel Transylvania" and got out of the way just before a dozen fireworks shot up and lit up the nighttime sky.

A warm welcome indeed, and a great start to a long and happy life for both the hotel, and the family who lived inside it.

**The End.**

**Warning, super long Author's note: Alright! It's finished! Sorry if the very very end (like, the last five or so sentences) weren't very good. I was trying to think of a way to end it, and I had already said all the things I wanted to say. So, fireworks. I figured it would be a fitting end, but I still wish I could've written a bit more. Oh well.**

**Anyway, thank you all so so much! *Hugs all my readers* You guys have made this my most reviewed, most favorited and most alerted story ever! I never would've thought this story would get so popular. So, thank you all my readers on FF! I also want to think the people on Tumblr who read it, as well as an In-Real-Life friend (I'm not sure if they are still reading it, but they read part of it so, thanks). I appreciate you all so much, and if it weren't for you guys, this story might not have made it past the first few chapters. I honestly can't thank you guys enough!**

**Now, as for sequels because I know I'll be asked, I am not planning any at this time and I won't do one UNLESS I get a very good idea. That's not to say I'll be leaving the Hotel T fandom, I'm still planning a couple oneshots that I'm looking forward to writing, but this will most likely be my last long story for Hotel T. I am not planning on doing a wedding fanfic for Johnny and Mavis just because I've already written a wedding story, and while it was fun, there's not much you can do with one that hasn't already been done. It wouldn't be much fun for me, and you know they're gonna live happily ever after, so there doesn't seem like a need for it. But I invite anyone in the fandom to write one because I would probably read it (hopeless romantic here)**

**So, I've said all that needs to be said. Please review so I can make sure I didn't disappoint you guys with the ending, and I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as I did writing it. Have a nice day everyone! **


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